F Dylan Wruck (Edmonton, 2008-13) has signed a two-year extension with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL). In 51 games, he has 37 points, including 14 goals. Wruck holds dual Canadian-German citizenship.
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Mark Lamb, the general manager and head coach of the Swift Current Broncos, didn’t accompany his team to Moose Jaw for Friday night’s date with the Warriors. . . . Early in the game, the Broncos tweeted: “Head Coach and GM Mark Lamb is not with the team in Moose Jaw tonight. He will be spending the night in @CypressHealth Hospital.” . . . No further details were available. . . . In Lamb’s absence, associate coach Josh Dixon ran the Broncos’ bench. The Warriors won the game, 3-2. . . . The Broncos are scheduled to play in Brandon tonight.
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Here is @OBjorkstrand and the puck from his 50th goal of the season! #50in50 pic.twitter.com/5vOpAqDmqF
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) March 7, 2015
What can one say about Portland Winterhawks F Oliver Bjorkstrand? The Great Dane scored four times on Friday night, giving him 52 goals in 50 games as the Winterhawks dumped the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . It was Bjorkstrand’s fourth hat trick of this season. . . . The WHL hasn’t had a sniper play a complete season and average a goal per game since F Pavel Brendl of the Calgary Hitmen scored 73 goals in 68 games in 1998-99. That season, Brendl scored 56 times in his first 50 games; he got his 50th goal in his 46th game. . . . F Layne Ulmer of the Swift Current Broncos scored 51 times in his first 47 games in 2000-01. . . . In 2011-12, F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers had 51 goals in his first 50 games. . . . F Mike Comrie left the U of Michigan and joined the Kootenay Ice during the 2001-01 season. He scored 39 goals in 37 games as he finished that season with the Ice. . . . In his last 14 games, Bjorkstrand has scored at least two goals on seven occasions. . . . Since playing for Denmark at the WJC, he has 31 goals in 22 games. . . . Bjorsktrand scored 50 goals last season. The last WHLer with back-to-back 50-goal seasons? F Eric Fehr of the Brandon Wheat Kings scored 50 in 2003-04 and 59 in 2004-05. . . . Thanks to Cody Nickolet, Todd Vrooman and TBird Tidbits for all the numbers.———
In Edmonton, the U of Alberta Golden Bears defeated the U of Calgary Dinos 2-1 to win the CIS Canada West title. The Golden Bears won the best-of-three final in straight games. . . . It was Alberta’s 52nd conference championship and it’s 13 in the past 15 seasons. . . . Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal has more right here.
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“In response to feedback from season-ticket holders, the Regina Pats have offered a compromise in their new seating structure for the 2015-16 season,” writes Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. The move follows a town-hall meeting with fans on Feb. 21. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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The junior B Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is looking for a general manager/head coach. The Posse revealed Friday that it won’t be offering a new contract to GM/head coach Bill Rotheisler. He has been with Princeton for the past 20 months. . . . The Posse finished fourth in the Okanagan Division, at 22-24-3-2, then lost a best-of-seven first-round playoff series in five games to the No. 1-seeded Osoyoos Coyotes.
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THE WHL PLAYOFF PICTURE:
EAST DIVISION:1. Brandon (7 games remaining) — Will finish atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1995-96. Will face second wild-card team, presently Edmonton, in first round. . . . At home to Swift Current tonight.
2. Regina (8) needs one point to clinch second in division. Will meet third-place team, presently Swift Current (7), in first round. . . . In Red Deer tonight.
3. Swift Current (7) appeared home free in third place but then lost five in a row and now has Moose Jaw (7) hot on its tail. . . . In Brandon tonight.
4. Moose Jaw (7) is four points behind Swift Current. Moose Jaw also is six points behind Edmonton (6), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . At home to Saskatoon tonight.
5. Prince Albert (8) is six points behind Moose Jaw. . . . At home to Lethbridge tonight.
6. Saskatoon (7) is playing out the string. . . . In Moose Jaw tonight.
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CENTRAL DIVISION:
1. Calgary (7) is atop the division. . . . Division winner gets first wild-card team in opening round. Right now, that’s Kootenay. . . . In Edmonton tonight.
2. Medicine Hat (7) is two points behind Calgary. . . . Entertains Kootenay tonight.
3. Red Deer (7) is five points behind Medicine Hat. . . . At home to Regina tonight.
4. Kootenay (7) is eight points behind Red Deer, and holds down the conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . In Medicine Hat tonight.
5. Edmonton (7) is in the second wild-card spot, three points behind Kootenay. . . . At home to Calgary tonight.
6. Lethbridge (8) won't be in the playoffs again, but there appears to be progress.
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B.C. DIVISION:
1. Kelowna (7) has clinched first place in the Western Conference and will play the second wild-card team, presently Tri-City (7) in the first round. . . . Leads the overall standings by two points over Brandon. . . . At home to Spokane tonight.
2. Victoria (7) will finish second and meet the third-place team — right now, that’s Prince George (7) — in the first round. . . . Completes weekend doubleheader in Prince George tonight.
3. Prince George (7) is third, thanks to a five-game winning streak. It is three points ahead of Kamloops (7) and five up on Vancouver (7). . . . At home to Victoria again tonight.
4. Kamloops (7) will meet Prince George four times in the next two weeks. The Blazers also are two points behind Tri-City (7), which holds down the conference’s second wild-card berth. . . . Plays Seattle in Kent, Wash., tonight.
5. Vancouver (7), which has lost five straight, is two points behind Kamloops. . . . At home to Everett tonight.
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U.S. DIVISION:
1. Everett (7) is in first place, four points ahead of Portland (9). Everett will play the first wild-card team, presently Spokane (9), in the first round. . . . In Vancouver tonight.
2. Portland (9) is on a 7-0-2 roll but hasn’t been able to catch Everett. The second-place team will play the third-place team, likely Seattle (7), in the first round. . . . At home to Tri-City tonight.
3. Seattle (7) trails Portland by eight points. . . . Entertains Kamloops tonight.
4. Spokane (9) is in the first wild-card spot, seven points behind Seattle and seven ahead of Tri-City (7). . . . Is in Kelowna tonight.
5. Tri-City (7) is in the second wild-card spot, two points ahead of Kamloops and four up on Vancouver. . . . Visits Portland tonight.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern ConferenceBrandon 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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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Austin Glover scored two goals to lead the Raiders to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . On Feb. 20, the Raiders beat the Wheat Kings, 6-4. These are Brandon’s only two regulation-time losses in its last 23 games. . . . The Raiders took control with three goals in the first period, with F Sean Montgomery getting his sixth goal at 6:34 and Glover, who has 15 goals, scoring at 11:13 and 14:39. . . . F Reid Gardner and F Simon Stransky each had two assists for the Raiders, who got a goal and an assist from each of F Craig Leverton and F Jordan Tkatch. Leverton has 18 goals; Tkatch has nine. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his 39th goal and added an assist as he ran his point streak to 21 games. He’s got 44 points, including 14 goals, during that run, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . With 94 points, McGauley is five off the pace being set by Medicine Hat Tigers F Trevor Cox. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk had two assists for Brandon, with F Peter Quenneville scoring his 24th goal and adding an assist. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 22 shots, six fewer than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny, who was looking for his 40th victory. . . . The Raiders (26-35-3) have won two in a row. . . . Brandon (47-11-7) had points in its previous five games (4-0-1). . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-2. . . . The Broncos were without GM/head coach Mark Lamb, who spent the night in hospital in Swift Current. In his absence, associate coach Josh Dixon ran things. . . . F Brayden Point got the home side on the scoreboard with his 31st goal at 10:15 of the first period. . . . F Blake Bargar made it 2-0 with his first career WHL goal at 2:21 of the second. . . . F Brett Howden stretched it to 3-0 with No. 17 at 9:00 of the second, on a PP. . . . The Broncos got back in it on goals by F Carter Rigby, his 17th, at 14:59 of the second and F Colby Cave, his 29th, at 18:51 of the third. . . . Point also had an assist, while F Jack Rodewald had two. . . . Rigby added an assist, too. . . . Warriors G Zach Sawchenko turned aside 37 shots, while Swift Current’s Landon Bow stopped 25. . . . The Warriors were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-2. . . . Moose Jaw D Tyler Brown was back after sitting out three games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Warriors (28-32-5) have won two straight. . . . The Broncos (30-30-5) have lost five in a row. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Carter Folk broke a 1-1 tie at 11:37 of the third period as the Lethbridge Hurricanes beat the Blades, 2-1. . . . Lethbridge swept the four-game season series. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan scored his 10th goal, on a PP, for the Blades at 12:01 of the first period. . . . F Tyler Wong tied it with his 25th, shorthanded, at 9:39 of the second. . . . The Blades were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 0-for-1. . . . G Stuart Skinner stopped 41 shots for Lethbridge, while Saskatoon’s Brock Hamm turned aside 28. . . . The Hurricanes (20-36-8) beat the Blades (19-42-4) to the 20-victory mark. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Brooks Maxwell and F Riley Sheen scored in a shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Maxwell had scored his 21st goal at 4:19 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it on F Levi Cable’s 27th goal at 15:57 of the third. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored to open the shootout and Maxwell then tied it. . . . After Ice F Tim Bozon failed to score, Sheen gave the Rebels a 2-0 lead. When Ice F Sam Reinhart missed, it was over. . . . This was Kootenay’s fourth shootout in five games. They went 2-2. . . . Red Deer G Rylan Toth stopped 30 shots, nine more than the Ice’s Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Red Deer (34-21-10) has won two straight. . . . The Ice (33-28-4) has lost two in a row. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . 
In Edmonton, D Colby Williams and F Taylor Cooper each had a goal and two assists to help the Regina Pats to a 6-4 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Williams opened the scoring with his eighth goal, via the PP, at 1:36 of the first period. . . . F Sam Steel gave the Pats a 2-0 lead with his 17th goal, shorthanded, at 6:14. . . . The Oil Kings tied it before the end of the period as F Cole Benson got his 10th at 12:26 and F Brandon Baddock got his 17th at 14:03. . . . The Pats took control by scoring the next three goals, two in the second period and one in the third. . . . F Adam Brooks got No. 27 and Cooper got his 25th. . . . Pats F Braden Christoffer added his 22nd at 15:19 of the third, on a PP, to make it 5-2. . . . Christoffer later got the empty-netter. . . . F Edgars Kulda, with his 11th, and F Brett Pollock, with his 31st, made it interesting as they got the Oil Kings to within one with goals at 16:20 and 16:48. . . . D Aaron Irving had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Regina was 2-for-8 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-3. . . . Regina (35-20-9) is 2-0-1 in its last three. . . . Edmonton (30-29-7) have points in its previous four games (3-0-1). . . .
In Prince George, the Cougars erased a 2-1 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Victoria Royals, 4-3. . . . F Jari Erricson of the Cougars tied the score 2-2 at 5:08 of the third with his 22nd goal. . . . F Brad Morrison put the home side ahead with his 21st goal at 8:35 and F Kody McDonald added insurance with his seventh goal at 15:22. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase scored his 20th goal, on a PP, at 16:03. . . . Erricson also had one assist. . . . D Jack Walker drew two assists for the Royals, while Chase had an assist. F Alex Forsberg scored No. 25 and also had an assist. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 34 shots, one more than Justin Paulic of the Royals. . . . Victoria was 3-for-6 on the PP; Prince George was 1-for-4. . . . The Cougars (28-33-4) have won five in a row. . . . The Royals (34-27-4) have lost two straight. . . . 
In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored four times to lead the Winterhawks to a 7-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Bjorkstrand, who has a WHL-leading 52 goals, also finished plus-5. . . . On top of everything else, he set a franchise record by scoring at least once in a 12th straight game. The record had been held by F Tony Currie, who did it in 1975-76, the Winterhawks’ first season in Portland. Currie finished that season with 73 goals in 72 games. . . . It was the third four-goal game of Bjorkstrand’s career. Bjorkstrand, from Herning, Denmark, has 267 points, including 133 goals, in 184 regular-season games. His NHL rights belong to the Columbus Blue Jackets. . . . This season, Bjorkstrand has 95 points, four behind Medicine Hat Tigers F Trevor Cox, who leads the scoring race. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had four assists, giving him 17 helpers over his last five games. He has 63 assists in 45 games. . . . Seattle F Cory Millette scored his 20th goal, at 3:08 of the third period. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 24 shots. . . . The Winterhawks (38-20-5) are 7-0-2 in their last nine outings. . . . Seattle (32-24-9) is 1-1-1 in its last three. . . . 
In Kamloops, F Cole Ully scored twice to lead the Blazers to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Ully, who has 32 goals, scored at 12:03 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. . . . Kamloops F Collin Shirley got his 23rd at 16:54. . . . After Kamloops F Jake Kryski scored his ninth at 2:26 of the second, the Chiefs were never able to get into this one. . . . Kamloops F Matt Needham had two assists. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 36 shots, 10 more than Garret Hughson of the Chiefs. . . . The game featured the WHL’s second- and third-winningest head coaches. Don Hay of the Blazers now has 634 victories, while Spokane’s Don Nachbaur has 629. . . . The Blazers (25-33-7) have points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Chiefs (31-28-4) had a four-game winning streak snapped. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., G Carter Hart stopped 21 shots as the Everett Silvertips beat the Tri-City Americans, 1-0. . . . It was Hart’s fourth shutout in his freshman season. . . . F Remi Laurencelle scored the game’s only goal, his 19th, at 15:02 of the first period. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie returned from the injury list to make 30 saves. It was his first appearance since Feb. 20 when the Americans beat Everett 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Everett had a 17-5 edge in second-period shots. . . . The Silvertips were 0-for-3 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-1. . . . Everett F Carson Stadnyk went to the dressing room with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. . . . The Silvertips (39-19-7) have won two in a row. . . . The Americans are 28-34-3. . . . 
In Vancouver, F Tyrell Goulborne scored three times and added an assist as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Giants, 5-2. . . . All of the goals were scored in the third period. . . . Goulbourne, who has 20 goals, signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the week. . . . He opened the scoring at 2:57 of the first, got his second, shorthanded, at 9:056 of the third and closed the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:50. . . . It was Goulbourne’s second third-goal game this season. . . . Vancouver F Thomas Foster tied it with his 11th goal, shorthanded, at 4:36. . . . Vancouver F Zane Jones was given a boarding major and game misconduct at 4:01 of the third period for a hit on Kelowna D Devante Stephens. Stephens needed help getting back to the Kelowna bench. He did return to action. . . . The game was 1-1 at that point. The Rockets then took control with two PP goals. . . . D Riley Stadel broke the tie with his 10th goal, via a PP, at 6:05. . . . F Leon Draisaitl made it 3-1 as he ran his goal streak to seven games — and his point streak to 10 games — with his 16th goal at 8:40. . . . F Jackson Houck scored his 21st goal and added an assist for the Giants. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer stopped 25 shots. . . . Vancouver F Jakob Stukel failed on a first-period penalty shot. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier was expected back in the lineup — his name appears on the online scoresheet — but he was a late scratch. He hasn’t played since Feb. 21. . . . Kelowna F Gage Quinney left in the first period after absorbing a hit from Vancouver D Dmitry Osipov. Quinney didn’t return. . . . The Rockets (49-11-5) are 1-1-1 in their last three. . . . The Giants (26-36-3), who had been blanked in each of their last two games, have lost five in a row. . . . Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier has a game story right here.———
SATURDAY’S GAMES
(all times local)Lethbridge at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Regina at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Everett at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES
No Games Scheduled———
MONDAY’S GAMES
No Games Scheduled———
“@NYTArchives: “Boy, Match, Sewer Gas, Explosion.” http://t.co/EmZwPGSPCB pic.twitter.com/XRldrHuxBd” @millypowers for your headline collection
— Elizabeth Etchells (@lizetchells) March 7, 2015
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In Regina, D Colby Williams had a goal and three assists to lead the Pats to a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Pats erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits as they scored the game’s last four goals. . . . Pats F Patrick D’Amico tied it 2-2 with his 16th goal, shorthanded, at 2:32 of the third. . . . Williams broke the tie with his sixth at 8:32. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn, brought in for the game from the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers, scored his first goal at 17:41 of the third, on the PP. He was a first-round selection by Red Deer in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft, but was dealt to Regina at the trade deadline last month. . . . F Sam Steel had two assists for the Pats. . . . D Brycen Martin had two assists for the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Nik Amundrud stopped 49 shots, 18 more than Regina’s Daniel Wapple. . . . The Pats have beaten the Blades the last 12 times they have met. . . . Regina (29-17-6), which is likely to finish second in the East Division, has points in four straight (3-0-1). . . . The Blades slipped to 15-32-3. . . . The Pats are at home to Spokane tonight, while the Blades are in Swift Current. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, the Spokane Chiefs opened a six-game East Divison swing with a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . Prior to the game, the Warriors honoured F Ryan Smyth by retiring his number (28). . . . Chiefs F Riley Whittingham broke a 1-1 tie with his ninth goal at 12:11 of the second period. . . . Spokane F Markson Bechtold made it 3-1 at 17:09 with his sixth goal. . . . Moose Jaw F Axel Blomqvist scored his 20th goal of the season. . . . The Warriors were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Chiefs’ PP didn’t get off the bench. . . . Spokane G Tyson Verhelst stopped 32 shots, six more than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . Warriors F Jesse Shynkaruk served the second of a three-game suspension. . . . The Chiefs (25-22-4) are fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind Seattle. Spokane holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. Spokane visits Regina tonight. . . . The Warriors (21-28-4), who will play their next seven games on the road, are fourth in the East Divison, seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a story 
In Cranbrook, the Brandon Wheat Kings erased a 3-1 deficit with four third-period goals to beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-3. . . . The Ice took a 3-1 lead into the second and third periods. . . . Brandon F Quintin Lisoway cut that to 3-2 with his eighth goal, at 4:15 of the third, and D Eric Roy tied it, with his fourth, at 7:33. With seven defencemen dressed, Roy actually moved up to the forward ranks for the third period and also drew an assist on Lisoway’s goal. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored his club’s last two goals, at 7:48 and 19:57, the latter into an empty net. . . . McGauley, who also had an assist, has 33 goals. . . . Wheat Kings D Colton Waltz had two assists, as did D Kale Clague. He was playing his first game since Oct. 28 after suffering a wrist injury in early November at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. This was only his 16th game of the season. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau earned his 250th career regular-season assist when he was in on F Luke Philp’s 23rd goal at 11:46 of the first period. . . . F Tim Bozon scored his 21st goal for the Ice and F Levi Cable got his 23rd. . . . Ice D Tanner Lischynsky had two assits. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP as the Ice took the game’s last five minors. . . . The Ice PP was 0-for-1. . . . The Wheat Kings (39-9-5), who lead the Eastern Conference by 10 points over Medicine Hat, have points in their last 11 games (10-0-1). . . . The Ice (27-25-1) has lost two in a row. It holds down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, a point ahead of Edmonton. . . . The same teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story from Friday 
In Vancouver, F Ty Ronning’s first goal, at 19:02 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie and gave the Giants a 5-4 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Rebels D Colton Bobyk had given his side a 4-3 lead with his third goal at 11:14 of the third. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer tied it with his 11th at 11:59. . . . Red Deer D Austin Strand took a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Ronning at 17:01 of the third. Ronning scored the winner on the ensuing PP. . . . Giants D Josh Thrower and D Brennan Menell each had two assists. F Zane Jones scored his 25th goal — his seventh since being acquired from Lethbridge at the trade deadline — and had an assist, while Baer added an assist to his goal. . . . Red Deer F Wyatt Johnson scored No. 21 and added an assist. . . . Red Deer F Conner Bleackley scored his 27th goal, at 15:20 of the first period, for a 2-0 lead. But the Rebels captain later took a hit from D Clayton Kirichenko, left the game and didn’t return. . . . The Giants (21-28-3) had lost four in a row (0-3-1). The victory got them to within a point of third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. Vancouver travels to Kent, Wash., to play Seattle tonight. . . . The Rebels (28-16-8), who are in Victoria tonight, are 1-1-1 in their last three. They are second in the Central Division, a point ahead of idle Calgary. . . . 
In Kent, Wash., F Roberts Lipsbergs scored twice and added two assists as his Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Portland Winterhawks, 5-3. . . . Portland had an eight-game winning streak snapped. . . . Seattle scored the game’s first three goals, only to have Portland roar back and tie it on F Dominic Turgeon’s 16th goal at 5:56 of the third. . . . F Ryan Gropp gave the Thunderbirds a 4-3 lead with a deflection at 7:52. He’s got 21 goals. . . . Lipsbergs added insurance at 14:14. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 36th goal. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had two assists and now holds the Breakers/Thunderbirds franchise record for career regular-season points by a defenceman. It had been held by Craig Channell. . . . Thunderbirds D Evan Wardley scored his fifth goal and added an assist, while D Turner Ottenbreit had two assists. . . . Seattle was 1-for-5 on the PP; Portland was 0-for-1. . . . The Winterhawks are without F Alex Schoenborn (undisclosed injury). Paul Danzer of the Vancouver Columbian reports that Schoenborn is week-to-week. . . . Seattle (26-19-6) has won three straight and sits third in the U.S. Division, nine points behind Portland. Seattle is at home to Vancouver tonight. . . . The Winterhawks are 31-20-3 and now trail U.S. Division-leading Everett by five points. They’ll play Sunday in Portland.
D Bretton Stamler (Seattle, Edmonton, Swift Current, 2003-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). This season, with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL), he had three assists in five games, and he was pointless in seven games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). . . . 
OK, see if you can follow all of this. . . . On Thursday, the QMJHL announced that Quebecor had purchased the Quebec Remparts. Quebecor already owned a chunk of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, so on Friday the QMJHL announced that it was declaring a moratorium on any dealings between the teams due to the ownership situation. . . . Also on Friday, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens fired general manager Marc Fortier and head coach Patrice Bosch. Assistant GM Daniel Langlois resigned in what apparently was a show of solidarity. The Sagueneens then signed Yanick Jean as GM and head coach; he quit the Victoriaville Tigres in order to move to the Sagueneens. Jean had been with the Tigres since 2007-08. . . . The Journal de Quebec reported that Jean had an out-clause in his contract with the Tigres that allowed him to leave only if he was going to the Sagueneens with whom he played from 1992-96. He also was an assistant coach there from 2002-04. . . . Only in the QMJHL, you say. Pity!
In Calgary, F Connor Rankin scored twice and drew two assists as the Hitmen got past the Swift Current Broncos, 6-4. . . . Rankin has eight goals this season. . . . Broncos D Brett Lernout gave the visitors a 4-3 lead at 1:48 of the third period with his seventh goal. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim tied it with his 10th goal -- he's the first defenceman in the league to 10 goals this season -- at 4:21. That was a shorthanded score. . . . Calgary F Chase Lang got his second of the game, and 11th of the season, at 11:17 and Rankin added an empty-netter at 19:06. . . . Sanheim also had two assists. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 40 shots, 15 more than Calgary's Mack Shields. . . . The Hitmen, who are at home to the Vancouver Giants tonight, are 14-10-3, while the Broncos slipped to 14-11-4 with their second straight loss. . . . The Broncos will visit Red Deer tonight. . . .
In Edmonton, G Tristan Jarry stopped 35 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Jarry, who had sat out three straight games due to illness, has two shutouts this season and 16 in his career. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner scored the game's first goal, his career-high ninth of the season. It came 22 seconds into the first period. . . . Sautner is on a nine-game point streak, the longest by a defenceman in the modern history of the franchise. . . . Edmonton F Brandon Baddock had a goal, his sixth, and an assist, both on the PP. He has goals in three straight games and in four of his past five. . . . Edmonton F Andrew Koep had two assists. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter stopped 26 shots. . . . Vancouver has been outscored 13-1 in losing the first three games of a swing through Alberta. . . . The Oil Kings (14-10-4) have won two in a row. . . . Vancouver (9-18-0) has lost six in a row. . . . The Oil Kings travel to Medicine Hat tonight, while the Giants are in Calgary. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, D Tyler Lewington scored at 4:19 of OT to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Medicine Hat F Zach Fischer forced extra time with his first goal at 9:23 of the third period. . . . Red Deer F Scott Feser had given his side a 3-2 lead with a shorthanded goal at 17:07 of the second. It was his third shortie of the season the Rebels' eighth. Only Kelowna, with nine, has more. . . . Feser has nine goals this season. . . . F Anthony Ast, who underwent wrist surgery, was in Medicine Hat's lineup for the first time this season and scored the game's first goal, at 9:56 of the first. . . . F Cole Sanford scored his 17th goal for the Tigers, who lead the season series 3-2 with one game remaining. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-3 on the PP; the Rebels never got an opportunity. . . . When asked by the Red Deer Advocate if it was proper that the Tigers weren't assessed even one minor penalty, Brent Sutter, the Rebels' GM and head coach, replied in Belichickian fashion: "Nope." . . . The Tigers (18-6-2) have won two in a row. . . . The Rebels (13-10-4) have lost two straight. . . . The Tigers play host to Edmonton tonight, while the Rebels entertain Swift Current. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the Tri-City Americans outshot Lethbridge 41-15 en route to a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Ty Comrie, with his second goal of the season, got the home side started at 16:53 of the first period. . . . F Lucas Nickles, F Vladislav Lukin and F Brian Williams each had a goal and an assist for the Americans. . . . There was a two-fight situation at 12:32 of the third period. . . . The Americans (15-11-0) had lost their previous two games. . . . The Hurricanes now are 6-16-4. . . . The Americans are scheduled to be at home to Portland tonight, while the Hurricanes play the Chiefs in Spokane. . . . 
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