Madaisky hoping to recapture form he showed in 2010

Daily News Sports Reporter
Austin Madaisky remembers the 2010 postseason well.
Yes, his Kamloops Blazers lost in four games to the Vancouver Giants, and yes, it was the last time the Blazers made the playoffs.
But it also was the coming-out party for the defenceman, who will lead the Blazers into the playoffs today. Kamloops is to play host to the Victoria Royals at Interior Savings Centre at 7 p.m.
The Blazers had acquired Madaisky, who turned 20 on Jan. 30, from the Calgary Hitmen as part of a blockbuster deal in January 2010. He was decent in the final 26 regular-season games with the Blazers that season, scoring two goals and assisting on seven others.
But it was the 2010 postseason in which Madaisky turned a corner. He had a point in each of the Blazers’ four losses, ending with three goals and three assists to lead the team.
“I felt great — that was probably some of the best hockey I’ve played in my life,” said Madaisky, a Surrey native. “I’m hoping to find that level again this postseason.”
Madaisky was named a Western Conference second-team all-star Thursday, and said he improved a lot this season, his fourth in the WHL.
“I grew a lot as a player this year,” Madaisky said. “I think a lot of that can be attributed to bringing in (associate coach) Dave Hunchak, who’s a great defensive coach, and (head coach) Guy Charron.”
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Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants was named to the Western Conference’s first all-star team for the second straight season on Thursday.
Gallagher, who spent the first part of the season with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and also spent time with Canada at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Calgary around Christmas, ended with 41 goals and 36 assists in 54 games.
He is the only repeater on the first team, although all of the other 2010-11 first-teamers have moved on. D Jared Cowen and F Ryan Johansen are full-time NHL players, while D Tyson Barrie and F Tyler Johnson are in the AHL. G James Reid has spent time this season in the AHL, Central League and ECHL.
Three other all-stars from 2010-11 are on the 2011-12 teams. D Brendan Kichton of the Spokane Chiefs and F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans moved up from the second team to the first team, while D Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips made the second team for the second straight year.
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The Western Conference’s three other first-round series are to begin tonight.
The No. 1 seed, the Tri-City Americans, will play host to the eighth-seeded Everett Silvertips in Kennewick, Wash., while the No. 3 Portland Winterhawks will entertain the No. 6 Kelowna Rockets.
The Vancouver Giants, who finished fourth in the conference, are at home to the No. 5 Spokane Chiefs.
All WHL playoff series are best-of-seven.

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There was some excitement around the WHL on Sunday when Rocco Grimaldi tweeted: "Many different choices, but I'm going with the Dub. The Dub is the best fit for me #TheDub"
Of course, the WHL, in hockey circles, is known as the Dub.
Grimaldi, from Rossmoor, Calif., was selected by the Florida Panthers with the 33rd pick of the 2011 NHL draft. Undersized at 5-foot-6, he is extremely talented and has played two seasons in the U.S. National Team Development Program.
The Portland Winterhawks hold his WHL rights, having obtained them from the Vancouver Giants.
Unfortunately for Portland fans, however, it seems that Grimaldi was referring to an automobile when he wrote that he is “going with the Dub.”
According to urbandictionary.com, V-dub is “a term used for all Volkswagen cars including any and all air-cooled beetles, buses or things.”
Grimaldi has committed to the U of North Dakota.
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JUST NOTES: The Central league’s Allen Americans have signed G James Reid (Spokane, 2008-11). He put up 85 victories with the Spokane Chiefs over the last three seasons.
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Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has today’s good read. It’s about U.S. college football, the way it is supposed to be run and the way it is supposed to be played. Don’t miss it. It’s right here. And thanks  to the Sports Curmudgeon for pointing it out.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Thursday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Brett Palin (Kelowna, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with Chomutov (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had four goals and 14 assists in 80 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) last season.
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Glen Hanlon, the red-headed former WHL goaltender known throughout the hockey world as ‘Carrot,’ has signed a two-year contract to work as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Giants.
Hanlon, who lives with his family in Point Roberts, Wash., has worked as a professional coach since 1995, says he was interested in the Vancouver opportunity for family reasons.
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the story right here.
According the Giants, they are the only team in the CHL to have two former NHL head coaches on their coaching staff.
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Hanlon, 54, played three seasons (1974-77) with his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings. In 1976-77, he went 49-7-7 and that may well be the WHL single-season record for single-season victories by a goaltender.
It was while he was with the Wheat Kings that Hanlon was involved in a scrap with F Rocky Saganiuk of the Lethbridge Broncos.
Legend has it that Saganiuk, who may have been 5-foot-8 at the time, ran Hanlon. When none of his teammates rode to his rescue, Hanlon took matters into his own hands.
That led to Brandon head coach Dunc McCallum blasting his charges for not backing up the goaltender. What made things especially bad, McCallum said, was that Hanlon had been hit by a guy who was “a foot shorter than a duck.”
That type of thing never happened again during McCallum’s reign with the Wheat Kings.
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THE COACHING GAME: Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds, who opposed each other as head coaches in the 2011 Memorial Cup, have been named assistant coaches with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Cameron was with the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors, while Reeds was head coach of the Owen Sound Attack. . . . Paul MacLean, a former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach, is the new head coach in Ottawa. . . . Former Tri-City Americans assistant coach Terry Virtue is an assistant in Owen Sound. Attack GM Dale DeGray has told Bill Walker of the Owen Sound Sun Times that he considers Virtue a candidate to replace Reeds. “I think we have a tremendous candidate in Terry Virtue, there’s no question,” DeGray told Walker. “We'll go through the process because quite honestly, you don't know what you're going to get as far as applicants who might be interested. I would be doing a disservice to the organization if I didn't look at applications." . . . The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have added two goaltending coaches to their staff in former NHL G Curtis Joseph and David Franco. Franco has coached goaltenders for more than 20 years and included Joseph among those he has tutored. . . . Jim Midgley, who was head coach of the New Brunswick at the 2011 Canada Winter Games, has joined the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads as an assistant coach. He has QMJHL experience as an assistant coach with the Saint John Sea Dogs.
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The U of Lethbridge Pronghorns have landed former WHL goaltenders James Reid and Dylan Tait. Reid, who played three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs, was the WHL Western Conference’s nominee as goaltender of the year. Tait, who is from Lethbridge, played last season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Pronghorns starter Scott Bowles is heading into his final season of eligibility. . . . F Todd Robinson (Portland, 1994-99) has signed a two-year contract with the Central league’s Evansville IceMen. Robinson, 33, put up 99 points in 62 games with the Central league’s Odessa Jackalopes last season. He is one of the most prolific scorers in minor pro history. Former Portland head coach Rich Kromm is Evansville’s GM and head coach. . . . Former Red Deer Rebels assistant coach Dallas Gaume is the new general manager of the Red Deer Minor Hockey Association.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

WILLIAM WRENN

ON THE ICE SUNDAY:
In Portland, the Winterhawks erased a 1-0 deficit and beat the Spokane Chiefs 2-1 in Game 2 of the Western Conference final. . . . The series is tied 1-1 with Games 3 and 4 in Spokane on Wednesday and Friday nights. Game 5 will be played Saturday at the Rose Garden in Portland. . . . F Matt Marantz gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 17:49 of the first period, only to have D William Wrenn pull the Winterhawks even at 18:22. . . . That was Wrenn’s first playoff goal. He had two goals in 29 regular-season games after leaving Denver University and joining the Winterhawks in midseason. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen broke the tie at 7:38 of the second period, via the PP. . . . The Winterhawks were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-for-2. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 34 shots, as did Spokane’s James Reid. . . . Attendance at the Rose Garden was 6,506. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham, who was acquired from the Vancouver Giants during the season, played in the 70th playoff game of his career. Cunningham has played at least 10 playoff games in each of his five WHL season. Seventeen other players have played at least 70 WHL playoff games, led by F Shay Stephenson of the Red Deer Rebels (2000-04). He got into 87. In fact, six of the top 18 in that category played for the Rebels during that time. . . . This also was the first time in the last nine playoff meetings between these teams that the home team won. A year ago, they played a seven-game series in which the visitors won each game. The Chiefs opened this series with a 2-1 victory in Portland on Friday. . . .
“They had us on our heels at times,” Nachbaur said. “Whether that was their game or our game, you have to give them credit. When all is said and done it could have gone either way,” Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur told Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review. . . . Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston, looking at Wrenn’s goal coming 33 seconds after Spokane scored, told Trimmer: “It was good to get that response goal, it was a key turning point in the game. They had just scored and you start to think, ‘Jeez, are we ever going to get one here?’ I liked our response and I thought we were good in the areas we had to be good.”
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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Drew Edwards of the Hamilton Spectator reports that at least some minor hockey organizers in that area are taking a serious look at concussions.
“All 244 players on the 14 teams of Hamilton Reps Hockey Club will be given a computerized neuro-cognitive test before the season and, should they suffer a head injury, be tested again,” Edwards writes. “Until their post-concussion test results resemble their pre-season baseline tests, players will not be allowed to return to action.”
It seems that the Guelph Minor Hockey Association also is on board and will test all 1,100 of its players.
That story is right here.
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After mention here a couple of days ago about Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., taking some Division I coaches into Sherwood Park, Alta., for a camp, I got an email about a camp that was held in Penticton.
According to an emailer, the camp was held by the BCHL’s Penticton Vees.
“There were coaches from 11 Division 1 schools and the invitation-only camp had the top 80 bantam players from B.C. and Washington State. They put on a great presentation and Q and A session for players and parents, plus two days of games.”
Obviously, the NCAA versus CHL is going to be a big, big story. The WHL spent this weekend holding its annual camp in Anaheim, but I don’t recall the NCAA ever having this kind of a hockey presence in Western Canada.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Tuesday . . .

Defenceman Jared Cowen (2) and his Spokane Chiefs had it
all over forward Mason Wilgosh and the Tri-City Americans
on Tuesday night in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Sami Sandell (Brandon, 2004-06) signed a two-year contract with Luleå (Sweden Elitserien). He had 18 goals and 29 assists in 47 games for Troja-Ljungby (Sweden Allsvenskan) this season.
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THE CHILLIWACK-TO-VICTORIA SAGA, Chapter 33:
So . . . let’s recap.
In a deal that seems to have been in the works for a while, the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold. Presumably to Vancouver-based RG Properties who, presumably, will move the WHL franchise to Victoria.
Except that the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings, who also are owned by RG Properties,  continue to occupy the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre and will do so until at least April 22, which is the date for Game 4 of their second-round best-of-seven playoff series with the Utah Grizzlies.
Presumably the Salmon Kings will be on the move as soon as their season has ended. Perhaps RG Properties has found a buyer for the ECHL franchise, or perhaps the franchise simply will suspend operations.
But what of the arena in Chilliwack that has been home to the Bruins for the last five seasons?
The latest rumour has Lower Mainland people, perhaps a group involving long-time BCHLer Harvey Smyl, purchasing the BCHL’s Quesnel Millionaires and moving that franchise to Chilliwack.
Is there any meat to that rumour?
Well, Autumn MacDonald of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer wonders why her newspaper hasn’t been able to speak with anyone involved with Millionaires’ ownership or with anyone from the BCHL office. MacDonald’s piece is right here.
What MacDonald’s piece would seem to indicate is that there now are a whole lot of people living under Maxwell Smart’s Cone of Silence. That includes the WHL office, the BCHL office, RG Properties, the Chilliwack Bruins’ majority owners, the Quesnel Millionaires’ owners . . . and let’s not forget that the entire WHL is under a gag order on this subject.
Based on that, you are allowed to jump to your own conclusions.
Not to say that all of the silence has allowed this whole mess to get completely out of control, but other rumours that have arisen over the last month involve, in no particular order . . .
1. The Prince George Cougars moving to Chilliwack.
2. The Saskatoon Blades moving to Winnipeg (if the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes returned to Winnipeg, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose would go to Saskatoon, with the Blades then shifting to Winnipeg, or so the theory goes).
3. The Manitoba Moose moving to Seattle. (Again, only if the Coyotes return to Winnipeg.)
4. The Regina Pats moving to Chilliwack. (The Pats are involved in lease negotiations with their landlord. These negotiations, in the past, have turned nasty. So . . .)
5. The Kootenay Ice moving to Chilliwack.
6. An expansion franchise being awarded to former WHL/NHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who now is an analyst on Hockey Night in Canada and owns a chunk of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. Even though there isn’t an arena in Nanaimo that is close to meeting WHL standards.
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Has the WHL proven to be “morally bankrupt” in the way it has dealt with the sale of the Chilliwack Bruins? Tyler Olsen of the Chilliwack Times offers up some opinion right here.
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Eric Welsh of the Chilliwack Progress has a piece right here on how the fans who billet players are taking the news that the Bruins have been sold.
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THE COACHING GAME:
It would seem that the annual running of The Coaching Game has started early, early this year.
There already are five openings for head coaches in the NHL, where the Dallas Stars fired Marc Crawford on Tuesday. Also looking are the Florida Panthers (Peter DeBoer), Minnesota Wild (Todd Richards), New Jersey Devils (Jacques Lemaire) and Ottawa Senators (Cory Clouston). Lemaire retired (again); the others were dumped.
(After Richards was dismissed, Bruce Brothers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press put together a list of possible candidates for the Wild job. That list includes the name of Craig Hartsburg, a former Minnesota North Stars defenceman who now coaches the Everett Silvertips.)
As well, there are four head-coaching vacancies in the QMJHL, two of which were created Tuesday when the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles fired GM/head coach Mario Durocher and Clement Jodoin resigned from the Rimouski Oceanic.
Also looking are the Halifax Mooseheads and P.E.I. Rocket,
As well, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens may end up looking, should Guy Carbonneau choose not to remain in the position he took over during the season following the firing of Real Paiement.
In the OHL, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are without a general manager and a head coach, while the Sarnia Sting appears to have an interim head coach but no GM.
And, in the WHL, the Moose Jaw Warriors (Dave Hunchak) and Seattle Thunderbirds (Rob Sumner) are in the market.
Momma, it’s like the old song says, don’t let your babies grow up to be hockey coaches.
———
The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2011, and it is full of people with WHL connections, including Bob Cornell, Glen Lawson, Don Dietrich, Jayson More, Theo Fleury and Mike Keane.
There’s more right here.
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A note from Elliotte Friedman’s weekly 30 Thoughts:
Luke Schenn had a very interesting take on the Raffi Torres suspension: "I was taught on that play to fake reaching for the puck and then go for the hit. If that's going to be illegal, they are going to have to change the way young players are taught hockey."
Friedman’s blog is right here.
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ON THE ICE:
Wow! The Eastern Conference’s top two seeds, the Saskatoon Blades and Red Deer Rebels, are in danger of having their seasons come to an end tonight. Both teams lost on the road Tuesday night and could be swept by the Kootenay Ice and Medicine Hat Tigers, respectively, tonight. . . . And who saw that coming? . . . Meanwhile, the Western Conference semifinals are following the chalk, with the No. 1 Portland Winterhawks and No. 2 Spokane Chiefs having taken 2-1 leads. . . .
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In Cranbrook, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 22 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 3-0 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Ice takes a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 at home tonight. . . . F Jesse Ismond got his first playoff goal on the PP at 18:34 of the first period and Lieuwen took it home from there. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford was sharp, making 33 saves. . . . Ice D Brayden McNabb, who came into these playoffs with a postseason goal, got his third of this spring and added two helpers. . . . Ice F Joe Antilla continued his hot postseason, notching his sixth goal. . . . Attendance was 3,065. . . . The Blades scratched D Tanner Sohn, who had played in Game 2, and inserted F Alex Elliott. . . . Ice F Drew Czerwonka, who had missed the first two games with an injury, was back in the lineup and drew an assist on the third goal. . . . 
———
In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk broke a 1-1 tie at 6:09 of the third period and the Tigers went on to a 3-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Tigers are up 3-0 — they have outscored the Rebels 17-2 — and can wrap it up at home tonight. . . . F Kellan Tochkin gave Medicine Hat a 1-0 lead at 14:27 of the first period, with D Justin Weller equalizing at 3:13 of the third. . . . Shinkaruk’s fourth playoff goal stood up as the winner. . . . Tigers F Cole Grbavac continued his outstanding playoff with his eighth at 16:34. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . . Tigers G Tyler Bunz stopped 26 shots, as did Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper. . . . Earlier in the day, Medicine Hat F Linden Vey was named the CHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in three games last week but was pointless last night. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Ryan Johansen drew three assists as the Portland Winterhawks scored a 5-4 victory over the Rockets. . . . Portland leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Kelowna tonight. . . . Johansen had three goals in Portland’s 6-3 victory in Game 2 and now has 13 points in seven playoff games this spring. . . . The big goal in this one came off the stick of PortlandD Tyler Wotherspoon. He broke a 3-3 tie with his first playoff goal at 18:18 of the second period, just 40 seconds after Kelowna F Brett Bulmer had pulled his side even. . . . Porltand F Nino Niederreiter scored twice, giving him six. . . . The Rockets got a goal and two assists from F Colton Sissons. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth was outstanding, with 38 saves. . . . Kelowna’s chances of winning took a hit at 8:32 of the third period. With the Rockets trailing 4-3, F Shane McColgan was penalized for hooking and then was hit with a misconduct. He is the Rockets’ leading scorer in these playoffs. . . . Portland was 3-for-10 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-7. . . . Attendance was 4,884 in an arena where regular-season crowds averaged better than 6,000. . . . Portland played without F Brad Ross, who served the second game of a three-game suspension for a charging major in Game 1. . . . Kelowna F Zach Franko, who was hit by Ross, didn’t play, either. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., G James Reid stopped 20 shots as the Spokane Chiefs dumped the host Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . The Chiefs hold a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 in Kennewick on Thursday. . . . The Chiefs jumped out to a 3-0 lead before F Neal Prokop go the Americans on the board at 12:08 of the second period. . . . F Darren Kramer, with his fourth, gave the Chiefs some insurance at 17:14 of the third. Kramer has four goals and four penalty minutes in eight playoff games; he had seven goals and 306 penalty minutes in 68 regular-season games. . . . The Americans were without veteran D Tyler Schmidt, who sat out a one-game suspension after taking a clipping major in Game 2. . . . The Chiefs held a 41-21 edge in shots. . . . Attendance was 3,667. . . . The Americans won their first five game in these playoffs, but now hae lost two in a row.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Four minors:
Kootenay D Joey Leach.
Kelowna F Spencer Main.
Kelowna F Jessey Astles (two minors).

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

SUNDAY, ON THE ICE:
Finally, a couple of home teams put up second-round victories, meaning the visitors now hold a 6-2 edge. . . . No games tonight. . . .
In Portland, F Ryan Johansen scored three times to lead the Winterhawks to a 6-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The series is 1-1 as it heads to Kelowna for games Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . Johansen has five goals in these playoffs. . . . D Joe Morrow and F Ty Rattie each added a goal and two assists for Portland, with F Riley Boychuk getting three helpers. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 46 shots, while Portland’s Mac Carruth turned aside 25. . . . Attendance was 8,053. . . . The Rockets were in this at 2-2 late in the second period. . . . But Portland got two late goals from Johansen, at 15:29 and 19:52, to go out front 4-2 and take control. . . . Portland was without F Brad Ross, who is suspended, while the Rockets were without F Zach Franko, who was hit by Ross in Game 1 on Thursday. . . . The length of Ross’s suspension might be known today. . . .
In Spokane, F Mitch Holmberg had two goals and an assist to lead the Chiefs to a 6-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . That series is 1-1 as it heads to Kennewick, Wash., for games Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. . . . Holmberg scored on the PP at 19:00 of the first period, breaking a 1-1 tie. The Chiefs then scored the only three goals of the second period. . . . Spokane was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-4. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen had four assists, three of them on the PP. . . . Spokane G James Reid stopped 12 shots, as his guys outshot the visitors 26-8 through two periods. . . . The Americans started Drew Owsley in goal. He stopped 21 of 26 shots before giving way to Eric Comrie, who made his WHL debut by turning aside 13 of 14 shots. Comrie, a first-round bantam pick who signed with the Americans on Thursday, was beaten only by F Tyler Johnson, who scored on the PP at 10:35 of the third. . . . Attendance was 5,026. . . . Tri-City D Tyler Schmidt was hit with a major for clipping and a game misconduct in the third period, a penalty that certainly will be reviewed by the WHL office.
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SUNDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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Taking Note on Twitter

Saturday . . .

Boom! Boom! Out go the lights!!!
If you haven’t seen/heard this, check it out right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers announced Saturday afternoon that their two assistant coaches won’t be back.
Here is the Blazers’ press release, in its entirety:
“The Kamloops Blazers have announced that Assistant Coaches Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith will not be returning behind the bench this upcoming season.
“Ferguson has decided to pursue Head Coaching opportunities. While part-time Assistant Coach Geoff Smith has decided not to return due to other time considerations.
“Smith and Ferguson were both hired by the hockey club in July 2008 and spent the past three seasons with the Blazers.
“The Kamloops Blazers organization would like to thank Scott and Geoff for their efforts and wish them nothing but success in their future endeavours.”
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SATURDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Chilliwack, G James Reid stopped 26 shots for the shutout as the Spokane Chiefs dropped the Bruins, 5-0. . . . The Chiefs lead the series 2-0 with Game 3 in Spokane on Wednesday night. . . . The arena in Spokane was booked for an NCAA women’s basketball region this weekend, thus the series opened in Chilliwack even though the Chiefs hold home-ice advantage. . . . The series is following a 2-3-1-1 format. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 42 shots. . . . Spokane F Darren Kramer, who scored twice including the winner in Friday’s 3-2 OT victory, added another goal. . . . Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg drew a charging major and game misconduct at 19:33 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 3,217. . . .
In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 32 shots as the Winterhawks opened a first-round series with a 4-0 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Game 2 will be played in Portland today. . . . Everett remains without G Kent Simpson (ankle), so Luke Siemens started and made 41 stops. . . . Portland had a 19-3 edge in shots in the first period. . . . Attendance was 8,363. . . . F Ryan Johansen had a shorthanded goal and two assists. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., D Tyler Schmidt drew three assists as the Tri-City Americans scored a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Americans lead the series 2-0 with Games 3 and 4 in Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . F Justin Feser had a goal and two assists for the Americans. . . . Vancouver was 2-for-9 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-5. . . . Attendance was 3,927. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored the game’s last four goals, all in the third period, and beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-4. . . . The Rockets take a 2-0 lead into Prince George for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. . . . The Cougars led 4-2 when Kelowna D Tyson Barrie scored at 16:20 of the second. . . . F Cody Chikie made it 4-4 at 7:04 of the third on the PP and F Jessey Astles got the eventual winner at 9:55. . . . Chikie also had two assists, while F Shane McColgan set up three goals. . . . Attendance was 6,085. . . . The Cougars were without F Brett Connolly, their leading scorer and a 2010 first-round draft pick of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. He was injured early in the first period of Game 1 on Friday. Dean Clark, the Cougars’ head coach, said before the second game that Connolly will be evaluated on a daily basis. There is speculation that Connolly has a separated shoulder. . . .
In Red Deer, F Adam Kambeitz had two goals and an assist to lead the Rebels to a 5-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Rebels take a 2-0 lead into Game 3 in Edmonton on Monday. . . . F Brett Ferguson had three assists for Red Deer. . . . Attendance was 6,207. . . .
In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice took a 3-0 lead into the third period and went on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2 to tie their series 1-1. . . . They’ll play Game 3 in Moose Jaw on Tuesday. . . . F Max Reinhart’s second-period shorthanded goal stood up as the winner. . . . Moose Jaw cut the deficit to 3-2 on goals from F Spencer Edwards and F Quinton Howden. . . . The Ice put it away when F Joe Antilla and F Brock Montgomery scored empty-netters. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath picked up a charging major and game misconduct at 5:52 of the third period. Warriors assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber also was ejected at that time. . . . Attendance was 2,467. . . .
In Saskatoon, the regular season-champion Blades opened the playoffs with a resounding 8-1 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . They’ll play in Saskatoon again today. . . . The Blades got two goals from D Dalton Thrower and singles from six others. . . . F Matej Stransky had a goal and three assists, while linemate Chris Collins drew three assists. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford, who once played for the Raiders, stopped 33 shots. He is 7-0 against his former club. . . . Attendance was 8,144. . . . Saskatoon F Brayden Schenn scored once amid speculation that he might be one injury away from joining the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, who selected him fourth overall in the 2009 draft. . . . The Kings have lost F Justin Williams (shoulder) and F Anzi Kopitar (broken ankle) to serious injuries. Were the Kings to experience one more serious injury, they would be able, under emergency recall rules, to recall Schenn. . . . The Raiders will have D Antoine Corbin back for Game 2. He sat out Game 1 as he completed a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Blades scratched F Ryan Olsen (upper body). . . .
In Medicine Hat, G Deven Dubyk started in place of the injury Tyler Bunz and backstopped the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The series is 1-1 and heads to Winnipeg for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Thursday. . . . Brandon’s Westman Place, the home of the Wheat Kings, is occupied by the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. . . . Dubyk made 38 saves as his side was outshot 40-23. . . . Bunz, who didn’t finish Brandon’s 7-2 victory on Friday, sat this one out with an upper body injury. . . . Medicine Hat D Sebastian Owuya, who didn’t have a goal in 66 regular-season games, scored the game’s first goal at 4:59 of the first period. . . . Attendance was 3,952.
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SATURDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Four minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy (double minor)
Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher (double minor)

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca

     

gdrinnan.blogspot.com

     

Taking Note on Twitter

There are 22 teams in the WHL. That means there are approximately 500 players on WHL team rosters on any given day.
F Spencer Asuchak of the Prince George Cougars has been suspended for eight games after testing positive for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant that he inadvertently ingested in an over-the-counter supplement. Which is how he became the first player in WHL history to be suspended under the CHL’s anti-doping policy.
Asuchak has said that he used one supplement (Jack3d) over the summer and another (Razor 8) in December.
Two OHL players were suspended, or at least their suspensions were announced, on Jan. 14. One of the players had already served his eight-game suspension when the announcement was made. Both of them tested positive for methylhexaneamine; both of them apparently ingested it via Jack3d, which they purchased over the counter.
So, boys being boys and all of that, do you really think that Asuchak is the only player in all of the WHL who inadvertently used an over-the-counter supplement? Do you think that these three players are the only ones in the 60-team CHL with methylhexaneamine in their systems?
What if every player in the WHL was tested? How many of those 500 or so players do you think would come up positive?
Here’s what Dean Clark, Prince George’s head coach, told Sunaya Sapurji, Yahoo! Sports’ junior hockey editor:
“I’m sure there are other kids. These guys aren’t the first guys. I think there are some general managers in our league who are worried . . . because there was a month before the Ontario guys came out (positive) where (WHL players) were being tested, so there could be some more guys that come out here that end up testing positive.”
Asuchak was tested in Prince George on Dec. 17. The Cougars were informed of his result on Jan. 19.
What if every player in the WHL was tested on, say, Feb. 20? How many players would be looking at suspensions as the playoffs were getting started?
Of course, the testing is done by random selection, so that would never happen. But it’s worth thinking about.
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G Mac Engel of the Spokane Chiefs has played in 13 games this season, but he’s still looking for his first victory. He is 0-4-3 going into this weekend’s games. And he will be the starter now that James Reid, who has appeared in 42 games, is out with an ankle injury. Dave Trimmer of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has the Chiefs’ story right here.
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Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Silvertips F Landon Ferraro’s season may not be over. “Ferraro, who was diagnosed with a hernia, is heading to Detroit this week to be evaluated by the Red Wings' doctors,” scribbled Patterson, noting that Ferraro has signed an NHL contract with the Wings, who selected him in the second round of the 2009 draft. “Those doctors will determine whether Ferraro will undergo surgery now or after the season. If Ferraro undergoes surgery to repair the hernia, he could be back in early March, in time for the stretch run.”
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F Oliver Gabriel of the Portland Winterhawks will miss the remainder of the season thanks to a shoulder injury. He is to undergo surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder. He suffered the injury in October, then hurt it again Jan. 15 in a 5-2 victory over the Blazers in Kamloops. . . . Gabriel, 19, had 32 points in 41 games with Portland this season, getting career highs in goals (11) and assists (21). . . . He attended training camp with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets on a free-agent tryout deal and ended up signing a three-year deal.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers made some new friends during their recent visit to Kamloops for a game with the Blazers. Check this out right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Tri-City Americans have signed F Justin Spagrud, a third-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Spagrud, who is from Gull Lake, Sask., has 15 points in 32 games with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires. He will play for Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, N.S., Feb. 11-27. . . . F Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the CHL’s player of the week. He had 10 points in four games last week. . . . The AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed G Alkexander Pechurskiy to a pro tryout contract. Pechurskiy, 20, started this season with the Tri-City Americans but lost out in the 20-year-old numbers game. He has played in 21 games with the Central league’s, going 10-8-0, 2.74, .898. A Russian, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2008 draft.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s first two goals and never trailed as they beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . F Tyler Pitlick, with his 20^th, and F Linden Vey, with No. 32, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. . . . The Pats weren’t able to get back even, despite getting a goal, his 22^nd, and two assists from F Jordan Weal. . . . F Garrett Mitchell also had a goal and two helpers for Regina. . . . Vey also had an assist and now leads the WHL with 81 points, two more than Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk had a goal and two assists for the Tigers, who got 30 saves from G Tyler Bunz. . . . Attendance was 4,998. . . .
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In Swift Current, G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 53 shots to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 4-3 victory over the Broncos. . . . The home side outshot the visitors 20-9 in the first period and 22-6 in the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach, in his return after a six-game concussion-related absence, got the game’s first goal, his ninth, at 3:55 of the first period on a PP. . . . F Antonin Honejsek upped the lead to 2-0 with his 21^st just five minutes later. . . . The Broncos weren’t able to catch up. . . . F Quinton Howden got his 28^th for Moose Jaw, while F Dylan Hood got No. 21. . . . F Taylor Vause had a goal and an assist for the Broncos. . . . F Sebastian Svendsen and D Dylan Bowman each had two assists for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-6 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 2,212. . . . “(Heemsker) played well,” Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak told Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. “We’ve been challenging our guys to start getting playoff ready mentally here and to play a certain way. If there’s one guy that’s already there, it’s Thomas Heemskerk. He made big saves when we needed them and he was a calming influence and he controlled the pace of play. There’s no question we gave up shots, but we didn’t give up 56 shots.” . . .
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In Calgary, Saskatoon’s Lorne Molleken earned the 499^th victory of his head-coaching career as the Blades beat the Hitmen, 8-4. . . . Molleken’s first chance to become the fifth coach in WHL history to get to 500 victories comes tonight in Edmonton against the Oil Kings. He also has coached the Moose Jaw Warriors and Regina Pats. . . . The Blades led this one 4-0 by 12:43 of the second period and took a 6-1 lead into the third period. . . . F Jake Trask scored twice for Saskatoon -- he’s got 13 -- and added an assist. F Curtis Hamilton had a goal and two assists, and F Brayden Schenn, the third member of the line, scored his first goal for the Blades and set up another. . . . D Stefan Elliott also had a goal and two assists for Saskatoon. . . . F Cody Sylvester had two goals for Calgary, which got two assists from F Brooks Macek. . . . Saskatoon was 3-for-6 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 7,820. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes opened up a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . F Michael Sofillas, with his second, F Austin Fyten, with No. 19, and F Max Ross, with his 12^th, scored first-period goals for Lethbridge. . . . F Shayne Wiebe got Brandon to within one with a pair of second-period goals, both of which were shorthanded. Wiebe has 26 goals. . . . F Russell Maxwell restored Lethbridge’s two-goal lead at 12:39 of the third on a PP. . . . F Scott Glennie got Brandon back to within one at 17:04, with his 21^st. . . . Lethbridge G Dylan Tait stopped 29 shots, seven fewer than Brandon’s Liam Liston. . . . Lethbridge D Mike Reddington had two assists. . . . Attendance was 2,748. . . . G Tyson Sexsmith, the WHL’s career record-holder in shutouts (26), is joining the AHL’s Worcester Sharks. Sexsmith hasn’t played since Nov. 7 when he was with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder. He has been on injured reserve since then, and now has been recalled by Worcester. Sexsmith, who played for the Vancouver Giants, was a third-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL’s 2007 draft.