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

Concern over attendance figures? . . . Some wine in Spokane . . . Rankin red hot for Hitmen

“During the seven seasons of minor-pro hockey with the Victoria Salmon Kings in the ECHL, it was an article of faith among some local fans that Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre would be packed every night if only the major-junior WHL would return and Islanders could once again watch a brand of hockey with which they were more familiar,” writes Cleve Dheensaw in Friday’s Victoria Times Colonist.
“Well, on Tuesday, a combined five players on the Victoria Royals and Portland Winterhawks who are prospects for Canada, Sweden, Denmark and the U.S. at the 2015 world junior championship, were on the ice for an appealing WHL game at the Memorial Centre, but only an announced gathering of 3,779 was at the 7,006-seat arena. That has been a common weekday thread this season on Blanshard Street, with empty blue and burgundy seats far outnumbering the ones with butts filling them.”
Dheensaw’s complete story is right here.
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Going into Friday’s games only two WHL teams were showing increased ticket sales when comparing average attendance at this point in the season to last season’s final numbers.
Granted, it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges, but it must mean something when 19 teams are showing a decrease.
The Brandon Wheat Kings, who are off to a terrific start, are averaging 3,838 fans through 13 home games; they finished last season at 3,529.
The Prince George Cougars, in their first season under new ownership, are at 2,709 through 17 games, up from last season’s final number of 1,693.
The Medicine Hat Tigers, in their final season in the Arena, have sold out (4,006) each of their 16 games, as they have done for the past number of seasons. The Tigers are scheduled to move into the 6,500-seat Regional Event Centre in September.
Prior to last night’s games, the WHL had played 39.2 per cent of its season; it was averaging 4,104 fans through 311 games. Last season, it finished with an average of 4,488.
Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province wrote in late November that Giants owner Ron Toigo had admitted to losing $400,000 in each of the previous two seasons. That being the case, one can only imagine what that number might be when this season is one. In 2012-13, the Giants’ average attendance was 7,205, a number that slid to 6,266 last season and this season is at 4,879.
Keep in mind, too, that WHL attendance figures indicate the number of tickets sold, not the number of people in attendance. In many instances, there are more empty seats in buildings than the announced attendance figures would seem to indicate. That, of course, means fewer people are purchasing team merchandise or spending money at the concession stands.
All of this can’t be good news for WHL teams, what with expenses seemingly not falling while new revenue streams are becoming harder to find.
What has happened recently can perhaps be referred to as The Netflix Factor.
In the past, I have alluded to a conversation I had with then-WHL president Ed Chynoweth a long time ago, and I will mention it again. The chat followed the introduction of VCRs as consumer products. It was than that Chynoweth said WHL teams no longer could open the doors to their arenas and expect the fans to show up.
Of course, in those days, a consumer’s major decision was VHS or Beta. Who knew then what minor league teams who depend so much on ticket sales for survival would be faced with in terms of competition?
“In junior and minor pro, everyone is facing a marketplace that has a ton of entertainment choices,” Victoria general manager Cam Hope told Dheensaw. “Our job is convincing people not to sit in front of their TVs, where they have hundreds of choices a week.
“It’s a struggle for everyone involved in our level of the sports business, which is so ticket-revenue driven. We don’t have the TV and sponsorship packages that provide revenue streams for the major-league teams.”
The struggle to get people away from their TVs isn’t going to end any time soon.
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Here is a team-by-team look at WHL attendance, showing the number of home games each team had played this season (going into Friday night) and the average attendance, with last season’s ranking and final average attendance in parentheses:
1. Calgary 15 / 6,944 (1. 8,252)
2. Portland 14 / 6,076 (2. 7,329)
3. Edmonton 13 / 5,443 (3. 6,743)
4. Spokane 14 / 5,255 (5. 6,102)
5. Kelowna 13 / 5,121 (6. 5,141)
6. Vancouver 14 / 4,879 (4. 6,266)
7. Red Deer 14 / 4,707 (7. 4,949)
8. Everett 15 / 4,557 (8. 4,901)
9. Victoria 14 / 4,490 (9. 4,800)
10. Saskatoon 14 / 4,231 (10. 4,719)
11. Seattle 13 / 4,062 (11. 4,427)
12. Medicine Hat 16 / 4,006 (14. 4,006)
13. Regina 15 / 3,881 (15. 3,956)
14. Brandon 13 / 3,838 (17. 3,529)
15. Kamloops 14 / 3,801 (13. 4,148)
16. Tri-City 14 / 3,745 (12. 4,223)
17. Moose Jaw 14 / 3,158 (16. 3,613)
18. Lethbridge 13 / 2,862 (18. 3,089)
19. Prince George 17 / 2,709 (22. 1,693)
20. Prince Albert 16 / 2,392 (19. 2,496)
21. Kootenay 13 / 2,179 (20. 2,227)
22. Swift Current 13 / 2,072 (21. 2,119)
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F Mikuláš Rimmel (Spokane, 2012-13) has been recalled by Vítkovice Ostrava U20 (Czech Republic, U20 Extraliga) from loan to Havířov and loaned to Šumperk (both Czech Republic, 1. Liga) for the rest of this season. With Vítkovice U20, he had two goals and seven assists in 20 games; with Havířov, he had a goal and four assists in 13 games. . . .
F Malte Strömwall (Tri-City, 2011-13) has signed a contract with Luleå (Sweden, SHL) through the 2015-2016 season. Strömwall was released by Växjö (Sweden, SHL) on Nov. 26. This season, with Växjö, he had two goals in 21 games.
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And now for something completely different . . .
If you are at all into wine, you may be interested in the fact that the Spokane Chiefs and Arbor Crest Wine Cellars have, for a second time, come up with Spokane Chiefs Wine -- aka Top Shelf Red.
According to a news release, “Top Shelf Red is a red blend (36% Syrah, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Sangiovese, 9% Merlot) produced and bottled by Arbor Crest Wine Cellars in Spokane. A portion from each bottle sold will go directly to Chiefs Care, a part of the Chiefs organization dedicated to giving back to the community of Spokane and for the continuing education of the Chiefs players.”
For more info, visit the Chiefs’ website right here.
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The Spokane Chiefs are likely to have D Jake Toporowski in their lineup tonight when they meet the visiting Kootenay Ice. Toporowski, 16, was a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, he is the son of former Chiefs D Kerry Toporowski, who is something of a WHL legend thanks to 889 penalty minutes and 31 points in 130 games over two seasons (1989-91). . . . Jake now is playing for the junior B Spokane Braves of the Kootenay International Junior League.
--- The Victoria Royals have signed G Dylan Myskiw, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. Myskiw, from Winnipeg, plays for the midget AAA Winnipeg Thrashers, where he has seven victories, one shutout, a 2.20 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 18 games.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired D Raymond Grewal, 19, from the Prince George Cougars for a 12th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. Grewal, from Prince George, had 19 points, including one goal, in 129 regular-season games with the Cougars. He has been with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings since being released by the Cougars earlier in the season. . . . Grewal didn’t play for the Raiders last night in Kamloops.
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F Tyler Jeanson of the MJHL's Portage Terriers has committed to Colgate University, which is located in Hamilton, N.Y., where he will play for the Raiders. . . . Jeanson, a 17-year-old from Graysville, Man., was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the ninth round of the 2012 WHL bantam draft.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Swift Current, F Coda Gordon had two goals and an assist to lead the Broncos to a 5-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . He's got 16 goals. . . . Broncos F Glenn Gawdin had three assists. . . . The Broncos held a 19-3 edge in shots in the first period as they built up a 2-0 lead. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 28 of 32 shots before leaving after two periods. . . . Zac Robidoux came on to turn aside 11 of 12. . . . The Broncos (15-12-4) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Hurricanes (6-18-4) have one victory in their last 13 games. They have lost three in a row. . . . The Broncos entertain Brandon tonight, while Lethbridge is at home to Red Deer. . . .

In Brandon, F Adam Brooks broke a 2-2 tie at 8:56 of the third period as the Regina Pats got past the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . The Pats had lost seven straight games in Brandon. . . . Brooks scored twice, giving him 12 goals. . . . His first goal, at 1:18 of the second period, gave the Pats a 2-0 lead. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it on third-period scores by F Nolan Patrick, his ninth, and D Reid Duke, also his ninth. . . . Regina D Kyle Burroughs was plus-3. He leads the WHL at plus-31. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 32 shots in winning his eighth straight decision. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made his ninth consecutive start. He has appeared in 26 of the team’s 30 games this season. . . . Papirny turned aside 35 shots, including a second-period penalty shot attempt by F Austin Wagner, who had two assists. . . . On Wednesday, the Pats beat the visiting Wheat Kings, 4-2. . . . The sweep moved them to within seven points of the East Division-leading Wheat Kings. . . . Regina (18-10-1) has won five in a row and 10 of 11. . . . Brandon (21-7-2) has lost two straight. . . . The Pats are off tonight, while Brandon travels to Swift Current. . . .

In Calgary, F Connor Rankin scored three times for a second straight game as the Hitmen dumped the Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-2. . . . Rankin now has 14 goals. He's got 13 points, including eight goals, in his last four games. . . . The Hitmen led this one 5-0 early in the second period. . . . Calgary D Keegan Kanzig, F Jake Virtanen and F Pavel Karnaukhov each had two assists. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner picked up one assist to run his point streak to 11 games. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini scored his 16th goal on a penalty shot at 16:51 of the second period, giving Calgary a 4-0 lead. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry was lifted after allowing four goals on 11 shots through two periods. . . . The Hitmen (16-11-3) have won two in a row and now are second in the Central Division, two points ahead of the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton (14-11-5) had points in its previous three games (2-0-1). . . . The Oil Kings head home for a date tonight with Moose Jaw, while Calgary takes the night off. . . .

In Red Deer, F Conner Bleackley scored twice to give the Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . F Jack Rodewald provided the visitors with a 1-0 lead with his 14th goal at 13:22 of the first period. . . . Bleackley equalized at 13:58 of the first and it was the Toque Toss goal. . . . Bleackley got the winner, his 10th goal this season, on a PP, at 2:30 of the second. . . . Red Deer G Rylan Toth stopped 16 shots, 11 fewer than Moose Jaw's Justin Paulic. . . . The Rebels (15-11-4) travel to Lethbridge tonight. . . . For the Warriors (12-13-3), this was the first of three games in less than 48 hours in Alberta, with each of them a Teddy Bear game. They are in Edmonton tonight. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has more on last night's game right here. . . .
www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Sports/Hockey/2014-12-06/article-3964753/Ailing-Warriors-cant-beat-Rebels/1

In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart broke a 1-1 tie at 5:39 of the third period as the Kootenay Ice beat the Spokane Chiefs, 2-1. . . . Reinhart, who has seven goals, scored the winner on the PP. He has seven goals and now is riding a 12-game point streak. Reinhart has 24 points, including 17 assists, during that streak. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau extended his point streak to 11 games when he scored the Teddy Bear goal just 41 seconds into the game. . . . He's got 19 points, including eight goals, in that stretch. . . . Descheneau also scored the Teddy Bear goal two years ago. . . . Chiefs D Jason Fram got his fourth goal, on a PP, at 19:11 of the second. . . . Ice G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Spokane's Garret Hughson. . . . The Ice (14-15-0) will meet the Chiefs (14-10-3) tonight in Spokane. . . . The Ice has won three in a row; the Chiefs have dropped three straight. . . .

In Kamloops, F Jayden Hart broke a 4-4 tie with 25.9 seconds left in the third period to give the Prince Albert Raiders a 5-4 victory over the Blazers. . . . Hart's goal, his 15th, came via the PP as Kamloops D Ryan Rehill had gone off for cross-checking at 18:11. . . . The Raiders, who have won seven straight road games, scored the game's first two goals, outshooting their hosts 13-1 to that point, but were forced to come back from a 4-3 deficit. . . . WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) tweeted that this is the Raiders' longest road winning streak in at least 18 years. . . . Kamloops F Matt Revel tied the game with his second goal, and 11th of the season, at 4:43 of the third. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully made it 4-3 on the PP at 8:06. He's got 13 goals. . . . The Raiders got even at 11:53 when F Simon Stransky got his fourth goal. . . . In its last four home games Kamloops has fallen behind 6-0, 3-0, 3-0 and 2-0. It is 1-3 in those games. . . . Kamloops has been outscored 43-23 in first periods this season. They are 1-11-2 when they trail after the first. . . . The head coaches in this one have 970 WHL victories between them. Don Hay of the Blazers is at 621, while this was victory No. 349 for Prince Albert's Marc Habscheid. He's 8-5-0 with the Raiders. . . . The Raiders (15-14-0) are to play in Kelowna tonight, while the Blazers (12-14-5) play host to Prince George. . . .

In Kelowna, the Prince George Cougars erased a 2-0 deficit with four second-period goals and beat the Rockets, 4-3. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala had two goals and two assists in that second period. He's got 15 goals. . . . Prince George G Ty Edmonds stopped 37 shots and was especially strong in the third period when the Rockets enjoyed some 5-on-3 time. . . . F David Soltes had three assists for Prince George. . . . Cougars F Colby McAuley left at 1:35 of the third period with a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on Kelowna F Kris Schmidli. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier scored his WHL-leading 32nd goal at 18:45 of the third period, via the PP. The Rockets finished the game on the PP as Cougars D Tate Olson was penalized for delay of game at 19:26. During that PP, Edmonds made a game-saving stop on Chartier. . . . The Rockets were 1-for-8 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-3. . . . Garry Davidson, the general manager of the Everett Silvertips, was spotted in attendance at this one. . . . The Cougars (14-15-0) had lost their previous two games. They are in Kamloops tonight. . . . The Rockets (23-4-3) are at home to Prince Albert tonight. . . .

In Victoria, F Axel Blomqvist scored three times to help the Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Blomqvist tied the game 1-1 at 3:53 of the second period and 3-3 on a PP 30 seconds into the third period. . . . He got Victoria's fifth goal at 16:29 of the third for his 13th goal this season. . . . Victoria D Chaz Reddekopp broke the 3-3 tie with his first goal, on a PP, at 3:56 of the third. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase helped out with his sixth goal and two assists. . . . F Dante Hannoun and F Austin Carroll also had two assists for the Royals. . . . Saskatoon D Ryan Coghlan scored his second goal of the season at 2:31 of the first period. He's from Nanaimo and had lots of family and friends in the crowd. . . . F Sam McKechnie who has been fighting the flu bug, had two assists for Saskatoon. . . . The Blades are 0-3 on their B.C. Division swing, despite opening the scoring in each game. . . . Victoria (16-14-2) doesn't play tonight, while Saskatoon is in Vancouver. . . . The Blades (7-21-2) have lost six straight and 14 of 16. . . .

In Vancouver, F Jackson Houck scored twice and added an assist as the Giants opened the Claude Noel era with a 3-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . This was Noel’s first game as head coach of the Giants. He was introduced Monday as the replacement for Troy Ward, who was fired after 25 games. . . . One of Noel's first moves was to take the captaincy away from F Dalton Sward. Last night, Sward, D Mason Geertsen and Houck were alternates. . . . Houck has 10 goals this season. . . . The Giants never trailed, leading 2-0 in the first period and 3-1 in the third. . . . F Tyler Benson had three assists for Vancouver, two of them on the PP. . . . The Giants were 2-for-5; the Winterhawks were 0-for-6. . . . F Chase De Leo had two assists for Portland. . . . According to the on-line score sheet, the Giants had 20 skaters dressed. Uhh, that would be two over the maximum. . . . The Giants honoured the memory of the late Pat Quinn, who owned a piece of the team, with a banner raising prior to the game. . . . The Giants (11-18-0) have won two in a row and are at home to Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Winter hawks (15-13-3), who meet visiting Everett tonight, had a six-game winning streak snapped. . . .

In Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s first three goals en route to a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored his 13th goal and added an assist as the Thunderbirds won their second straight game. . . . Seattle limited Tri-City to 18 shots -- six, five and seven, by period. . . . Thunderbirds G Taran Kozun lost his shutout when F Jordan Topping scored his first goal at 14:49 of the second period. . . . The Thunderbirds (12-12-4) are at home to Medicine Hat tonight. . . . The Americans (15-13-0) have lost two in a row. They won’t play tonight. . . .

In Everett, F Trevor Cox scored three times and set up another to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Cox, who has eight goals, scored the game’s last two goals after Everett had gotten to within one, at 3-2. . . . F Remi Laurencelle scored twice for Everett, giving him six goals. Both came on second-period PPs. . . . D Tommy Vannelli and D Tyler Lewington each had two assists for the visitors. . . . Medicine Hat F Cole Sanford scored the game’s first goal, his 18th. It was shorthanded. . . . Medicine Hat G Marek Langhamer stopped 29 shots, 18 more than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . Down 4-2, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine pulled Lotz for the extra attacker with 5:33 to play. Cox scored an empty-netter with 33.7 seconds left to play. . . . F Jake Mykitiuk was pointless in his debut with the Silvertips. He apparently didn't get to Everett in time for the game day skate, so the pregame warmup was his first time on the ice with his new teammates. . . . The Tigers (20-6-2), who have won four straight, will meet Seattle in Kent, Wash., tonight. . . . Everett (17-6-4) is in Portland tonight.
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Tip: If you're a hockey parent and you're thinking about buying your kid white gloves and/or skates (goalies excluded) ...... Just don't.
— Mike Fraser (@MikeFraser29) December 5, 2014

The night Fleury was traded to the Pats . . . 2016 Memorial Cup will be in Red Deer or Vancouver

F Layne Ulmer (Swift Current, 1997-2001) has signed a one-year extension with Asiago (Italy, Serie A). Last season, he had 35 points, including 17 goals, in 23 games.
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While tooling around the Internet the other night, I stumbled upon a book that was released this month. Written by David Ward, its title is: The Lost 10 Point Night (Searching for My Hockey Hero . . . Jim Harrison).
Jim Harrison (Estevan, 1966-68) was a terrific hockey player who battled back problems through his career; in fact, there is no doubt that the back woes kept him from being the player he could have been.
A straight shooter who had, and still has, issues with Alan Eagleson, the NHLPA, many of today's well-paid players and on and on, Harrison is a great subject for a book. Yes, there is a lot of straight shooting between the covers of this one. There also are a whole lot of great anecdotes from Harrison and many former WHL, NHL and WHA teammates.
If you are a follower of the WHL, you may recall that after his playing days, Harrison started 1987-88 as the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors.
While Harrison was with the Warriors, their star player was Theo Fleury. He was in his final of four WHL seasons in 1987-88; he would put up 160 points, including 68 goals, in 65 games.
There was a time early in that season, according to Harrison, when Fleury almost became a member of the Regina Pats.
The Pats at the time were owned by a group of Regina businessmen, including Bill Hicke, who had played in the NHL (Montreal Canadiens) and had been a teammate of Harrison's with the WHA's Edmonton Oilers.
So . . . there was this night when Hicke, who loved rum and coke, and Harrison, who was a beer guy, sat down to talk . . .
“Billy owned the Regina Pats when I coached in Moose Jaw,” Harrison tells Ward. “Then, because there are a lot of political things that go on in hockey, suddenly I'm not only coaching but I'm running the show for a couple of months. We knew Theo Fleury was leaving and the team wasn't doing very well. So I decided I was going to trade Fleury to Regina because Regina had a shot at the Memorial Cup, and we needed more guys who could make us better.
“Billy and I made a deal over a bottle of rum. Then ownership got word that I was going to trade Fleury, and I was fired the next day. Fleury never went to Regina, and the Pats didn't make it to the Memorial Cup.”
Ward's book is available right here.
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Here’s more of the Jim Harrison story . . .
Harrison, in his first season as the Warriors' head coach, was fired on Dec. 8, 1987, moments after a 7-4 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades, 7-4.
Art Schoenroth, then the team's president, blamed a poor record (12-19-0) and declining attendance. The Warriors replaced Harrison with Gerry James, a former CFL and NHL player who was a legendary owner/coach in the junior A SJHL.
In February 2007, with the Warriors this time having fired head coach Steve Young, Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post would write:
“At least the Warriors got around to telling Young he was dismissed. Such a courtesy was not extended to Jim Harrison. In 1987, the Warriors announced that Harrison had been ashcanned without bothering to deliver the news to the deposed coach. Harrison's wife, Liz, learned of the firing when a newspaper reporter (yours truly) called the family's residence, seeking comment.”
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THE DEAL: The Saskatoon Blades acquired G Michael Herringer, 18, from the Victoria Royals on Tuesday. According to the WHL website, the Blades gave up “conditional draft pick(s).”
THE SKINNY: Herringer was a ninth-round selection in the 2011 WHL bantam draft. From Comox, B.C., he got into two games with the Royals in 2012-13, going 1-0-0/2.39/.925. Last season, he played with the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers and Kerry Park Islanders.
THE ANALYSIS: The Blades add a third goaltender to the mix, as Herringer joins veteran Troy Trombley, 20, and freshman Trevor Martin, 18. With Trombley being 20, adding another goaltender may provide them with another option in terms of adding a 20-year-old forward or, more likely, defenceman. . . . The Royals get a possible draft pick, or picks, for an asset, while they are prepared to open the season with veteran Coleman Vollrath, 19, and freshman Evan Smith, 17, as their goaltenders. Smith is from Parker, Colo.
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The Victoria Royals have pulled out of the bidding for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament, leaving the Red Deer Rebels and Vancouver Giants to duke it out for the hosting rights.
Combine the Royals’ apparent evolution into a solid team and Victoria’s role as a tourist destination, you have to think it’s a shoo-in somewhere down the road, perhaps in 2019.
“As a wise man once said,” Royals GM Cam Hope told Taking Note last night, “you got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em.”
The Royals went into the bidding for 2016 not knowing who else would be involved. Once the bids from Red Deer and Vancouver were made official, the Royals “reassessed and decided to step aside this time,” according to Hope.
You can bet, then, that Victoria will be back in the picture when it comes time to bid on the 2019 tournament.
“We’ll focus on 2019,” Hope added, “and on playing our way into the tournament in the meantime.”
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that the WHL’s board of governors will hear proposals from Red Deer and Vancouver, and will select a host site on Oct. 8.
“Voters will be looking into the financial viability of both (bids),” Ewen writes, “since a percentage of the cash goes to the league. They will also focus on which team should be more competitive, due to the fact the host spot includes that automatic berth to the tournament.
“The Saskatoon Blades beat out the Rebels . . . and the Kelowna Rockets for the 2013 host berth, and proceeded to get eliminated in four straight games in the first round of the WHL playoffs. They ended up sitting idle for 51 days. and wound up last in the Memorial Cup,
“No one will give out exact dollar figures, but Red Deer owner/operator Brent Sutter said last season that that financial guarantee the Blades offered the league to host the event was $900,000 more than what Red Deer offered.”
Vancouver played host to the Memorial Cup in 2007. The Memorial Cup was last held in Alberta in 1974.
The 2015 tournament is scheduled to be held in Quebec City.
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Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province takes a look right here at Victoria Royals F Tyler Soy, who is poised to become a really solid WHL player.
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The Victoria Royals and head coach Dave Lowry have agreed on a multi-year contract extension. The exact length wasn't released, but an educated guess would be three years with a club option on a fourth year.
Lowry is going into his third season as the Royals' head coach, and chances are this was to have been the third year of an original three-year deal. That being the case, and if the extension is for three years, he’ll now be signed through 2017-18.
The Royals are 83-50-11 in regular-season games during his tenure. He is the WHL's reigning coach of the year after going 48-20-4, for the franchise's first 100-point season, in 2013-14. The 48 victories and 100 points set franchise single-season records.
Lowry joined the Royals after spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL's Calgary Flames. Prior to that, he was on the coaching staff of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen for four seasons, working as assistant coach, associate coach and head coach.
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The Saskatoon Blades have released veteran F Logan Harland, 19. From Frenchman Butte, Sask., Harland had 22 points, 13 of them goals, in 84 regular-season games with the Blades over two seasons. He had one goal in three exhibition games. . . . Harland also played 10 games, scoring once, with the Vancouver Giants in 2011-12. . . . The Blades' roster is at 27, including three goaltenders and nine defencemen. . . . The SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers hold Harland’s junior A rights.
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The Spokane Chiefs are down to 27 players after releasing two 16-year-old defencemen, Jeff Faith and Jake Toporowski, on Tuesday. . . . Faith was the 16th overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. He will play for the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds in his hometown of Wilcox, Sask. . . . Toporowski, from Bettendorf, Iowa, was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. The Chiefs aren't yet sure where he will play this season. His father, Kerry, played two seasons (1989-91) with Spokane. . . . The Chiefs are carrying three goaltenders, nine defencemen and 15 forwards.
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The Saskatoon Blades haven't had a first-round pick in any of the last four bantam drafts. But they have three players on their roster who were first-round selections of other teams. “Every team in the league, including us, is going to have a situation where it doesn’t work out for a player for whatever reason,” Blades managing partner Colin Priestner told Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “Especially given that we haven’t had any first-round picks for the last (four) years, we opted to look outside the box to find players that some teams might call reclamation projects. We want to get to a position where we do enough homework that we’re confident we’re getting someone at 60 cents or sometimes 10 cents on the dollar if you look at where their talent level might be. It’s believing in our organization that we can put them in a situation where we’re confident we can turn their career around.” . . . Nugent-Bowman's complete story is right here.
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Portland freelancer Scott Sepich tweeted Tuesday: “20-year-old Adam De Champlain is no longer with @pdxwinterhawks and is now on the roster of @camrosekodiaks of the AJHL.” De Champlain is from Sherwood Park, Alta. He was a 10th-round pick by the Winterhawks in the 2009 bantam draft. Over the last two seasons, he put up 14 goals and 14 assists in 103 regular-season games. He had two goals and two assists in 41 playoff games. He played for the Kodiaks in 2011-12, before heading to Portland. . . . His departure leaves the Winterhawks with two 20-year-olds -- D Josh Hanson and D Josh Smith.
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The NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets and F Ryan Johansen, who is coming off his entry-level deal, have yet to agree on a new contract. And things are getting nasty, real nasty, with president John Davidson throwing around words like "extortion." . . . Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has more right here.
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"Mental illness is a big topic in the life of a hockey player," writes Ashley March of marchhockey.com. "Once things start to slow down and they take a step back to look at their life, that’s when everything comes spiralling out of control. I’ve read it in way too many player biographies. We’re getting better with the NHL’s Hockey Talks campaign but it needs to (be) more than once a year. It’s important to know that it’s okay to ask for help."
March takes an interesting look right here at what might happen when the dream starts to die.
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Any sports league that gets media coverage and knows what it is doing in terms of marketing plays favourites with the media, especially when it comes to providing some reports with exclusive information in return for positive coverage. Stefan Fatsis of Slate has an interesting piece right here about how the NFL may have burned its favoured reporters during the Ray Rice mess.
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Here's how far along Medicine Hat is on its new 7,000 seat arena; it'll be done for next hockey season. #ymm pic.twitter.com/EGu0b1OIXw
— Tyler King (@tyler_king) September 17, 2014

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Tomas Karpov (Moose Jaw, Calgary, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract with the Basingstoke Bison (England, Premier). He had three goals and 11 assists in 22 games with Berounsti Medvedi (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) and 14 goals and 24 assists in 23 games with the Telford Tigers (England, Premier) last season.
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The Spokane Chiefs apparently have signed D Jake Toporowski, a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2013 bantam draft. Toporowski, the son of former WHLer Kerry Toporowski, played for the Chicago Mission bantams last season. . . . He announced his signing via Twitter (@jaketop77): “Pretty sure my signature was different every time I signed because I was so shaky from excitement, but it’s official, proud to be a Chief!”
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THE COACHING GAME
Travis Green is the new head coach of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. Green is coming off a terrific WHL season, albeit one that came about under difficult circumstances. The assistant general manager and assistant head coach of the Winterhawks, Green was forced to the forefront when GM/head coach Mike Johnston was suspended by the WHL for the remainder of the season on Nov. 28. Green went on to lead the Winterhawks to the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions. Green had been with the Winterhawks since November 2008. . . . Green also is a former NHL and WHL player (Spokane, Medicine Hat, 1986-90).
Scott Sepich has more for The Oregonian right here.
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The Salmon Arm SilverBacks have added Eric Godard to their staff as an assistant coach under GM/head coach Troy Mick. . . . Godard, from Vernon, B.C., played eight seasons in the NHL and has a Stanley Cup ring from the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. He also played three seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (1997-2000).
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The Federal league’s Dayton Demonz are in the market for a head coach after Marc Lefebvre resigned to pursue a job in Europe.
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Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports that Chadd Cassidy will be named head coach of the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Cassidy was an assistant coach with the Americans for a season and a half, and took over as head coach when Ron Rolston was promoted to the parent Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 20.
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From The Hockey News’s Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell): “By my calculations, since free agency opened July 5, NHL teams have signed 79 players to guaranteed, one-way deals totalling $536,450,000.”


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