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| ANDY CLOVECHOK |
Andy Clovechok, who was Mr. Hockey in Kamloops, died on Saturday night at the age of 93.
In his latter years, Clovechok was part of induction ceremonies held by the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in Vancouver, the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame and the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in Red Deer. Back in the day, he was a dynamite player with the Edmonton Flyers, who won the 1948 Allan Cup, and the Vancouver Canucks when they won the 1945-46 Pacific Coast Hockey League championship.
Clovechok won the PCHL scoring title that season, with 103 points, including 56 goals.
His name also is on a Blazers Legend banner that hangs from the rafters in the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. He served for 24 years on the Blazers’ board of directors when the franchise was owned and operated by the non-profit Kamloops Blazers Sports Society.
Clovechok and his lovely wife, Molly, were married for more than 69 years.
If you click right here you will find a story I wrote on Clovechok as he was about to be inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame with the Canucks.
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D Jason Fram, who played five seasons (2011-16) with the Spokane Chiefs, has chosen to end his professional career and return to school. From Delta, B.C., Fram, 21, will attend the U of Alberta and play for the Golden Bears when the Christmas break is over. . . . In 308 regular-season games with Spokane, he had 187 points, including 155 assists. He was an eighth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . This season, he was pointless in two games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda and had two goals in six games with the ECHL’s Allen Americans.
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Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province has a column right here that explains how consumers are getting hosed in the world of new media. The sad thing is that he is hammering the nail right on the head, but it won’t matter. . . . How else to explain the fact that the folks at Rogers, who are mentioned here by Willes, assign Cassie Campbell-Pascall to provide analysis on a Saturday night NHL game involving Calgary when she is married to one of the Flames’ assistant general managers? It seems that neither optics nor perception matter to the pooh-bahs these days.
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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:
Nick Bowman gets the coveted #TeddyBearToss goal! Congrats Nick!🎉👍🐻 pic.twitter.com/9rsnG0LweS— Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings) December 11, 2016
At Edmonton, the Kamloops Blazers opened a six-game tour of the Central Division with a 3-2 victory
over the Oil Kings. . . . F Collin Shirley, the team captain, led Kamloops with two goals, giving him 13 this season. . . . F Erik Miller, who is from Sherwood Park, Alta., gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 3:24 of the first period. . . . Shirley upped the lead to 2-0 at 1:56 of the second period, on a PP. . . . Edmonton F Nick Bowman scored his first goal, at 13:38, and it was the Teddy Bear Goal. . . . Shirley added insurance at 18:41 of the second. . . . F Colton Kehler (8) scored 56 seconds into the third period to get the Oil Kings to within a goal. . . . Kamloops F Garrett Pilon drew three assists. . . . With G Connor Ingram in the Canadian junior team’s selection camp, the Blazers have turned to Dylan Ferguson. He made 36 saves to record the victory. . . . The Oil Kings got 34 stops from Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 1-4 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-5. . . . The Blazers (18-12-1) have won four in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Oil Kings (14-15-2) have lost two straight. They hold down one of the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card playoff spots. . . . Kamloops lost F Matt Revel with an undisclosed injury in this one. . . . Announced attendance: 18,102.
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| DYLAN FERGUSON |
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Jake Kryski and F Calvin Thurkauf each had two goals and two assists to help the
Kelowna Rockets to a 7-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Thurkauf, who has 15 goals, scored twice in the first period as the visitors took a 3-0 lead. . . . Kelowna F Rod Southam (8) scored a shorthanded goal between Thurkauf’s goals. . . . Ice D Troy Murray scored the Teddy Bear Goal at 1:51 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Leif Mattson (2) got that one back at 3:37 for a 4-1 lead. . . . Ice F Vince Loschiavo (10) made it 4-2 at 4:15, but Kelowna scored the next three goals, with F Kole Lind getting No. 17 and Kryski scoring twice. He’s got nine. . . . F Max Patterson, the son of former NHLer Ed Patterson, completed the scoring with his third goal, on a PP, at 10:37 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Brodan Salmond stopped 15 shots. . . . Kootenay starter Payton Lee allowed five goals on 17 shots through two periods. Jakob Walter came on in relief and stopped six of eight shots in the third period. . . . The Rockets got two assists from F Tomas Soustal, while Southam added one to his goal. . . . Ice F Zak Zborosky had two assists. . . . Kootenay was 2-5 on the PP; Kelowna was 0-5. . . . The Rockets (19-11-1) are 6-0-1 in their last seven games. They are second in the B.C. Division, seven points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Ice (6-19-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,739.
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| CALVIN THURKAUF |
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At Medicine Hat, F Chad Butcher and F Mason Shaw each had two goals and an assist as the Tigers dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 7-4. . . . Medicine Hat took control of this one with four first-period goals. . . . F Max Gerlach (20) scored the Teddy Bear Goal, on a PP, at 5:26. Butcher got No. 13 at 6:21. F Ryan Chyzowski (4) followed at 9:58. Shaw got his seventh at 16:09. . . . Calgary F Andrew Fyten (3) cut into the lead at 1:22 of the second period, but the Tigers scored twice before the period ended. F John Dahlstrom (16) struck at 3:57 and Butcher got his 14th at 18:30. . . . The Hitmen made things interesting with three third-period goals, to get to within 6-4. F Justyn Gurney (1) scored at 2:33, followed by F Jakob Stukel (8) at 9:37 and F Matteo Gennaro (10) at 12:05. . . . Shaw finished it with an empty-netter at 19:50. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko, F Ryan Jevne and D David Quenneville each had two assists for the Tigers. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 34 shots in earning his WHL-leading 20th victory. . . . The Hitmen got 33 stops from Cody Porter. . . . The Tigers were 1-6 on the PP; the Hitmen were 0-2. . . . Medicine Hat (22-10-1) snapped a five-game losing streak. The lead the Central Division by seven points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Calgary (11-15-2) had won its previous three games and is six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,629.
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Just a reminder #mjwarriors vs #paraiders #thewhl #unfinishedbusiness pic.twitter.com/XCueG23DEv— Moose Jaw Warriors (@MJWARRIORS) December 11, 2016
At Moose Jaw, F Jayden Halbgewachs, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Warriors a 5-4 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Halbgewachs scored his 25th goal and
added two assists in regulation time. . . . F Carson Miller’s first goal put the Raiders out front at 7:46 of the first period. . . . The Warriors then scored three in a row. . . . D Josh Thrower got the Teddy Bear Goal, his second, at 12:13. . . . F Noah Gregor (16) put the Warriors out front 42 seconds into the second period. . . . F Tanner Jeannot’s ninth goal put Moose Jaw ahead 3-1 at 1:13. . . . The Raiders tied it on second-period goals from F Spencer Moe (2), at 7:22, and F Cavin Leth (7), at 16:24. . . . Halbgewachs gave the Warriors a 4-3 lead with his 25th goal, at 1:11 of the third period. He’s got goals in eight straight games. . . . Moe forced OT with his second goal of the game at 12:03. . . . Jeannot also had an assist. . . . Moe added an assist to his brace of goals, while D Zack Hayes drew two helpers for the Raiders. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 37 shots for the victory, five more than Prince Albert’s Nic Sanders. . . . The Raiders were 0-2 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-4. . . . The Warriors (18-6-5) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They are second in the East Division, seven points behind the Regina Pats . . . The Raiders (6-23-2) have lost four in a row (0-3-1) and are 16 points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Warriors dressed only 16 skaters. D Matt Sozanski (shoulder) and F Brett Howden (Team Canada selection camp) were among the scratches. . . . Announced attendance: 3,305.
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| JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS |
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Squad goals. #Hawks pic.twitter.com/mG0cF6Bo8A— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) December 11, 2016
At Portland, F Skyler McKenzie scored three goals, including the Teddy Bear Goal, as the Winterhawks
beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-2. . . . McKenzie, who has 20 goals, opened the scoring with the Teddy Bear Goal at 2:31 of the first period. . . . The Silvertips then took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Patrick Bajkov (16), at 5:35 of the first period, and F Matt Fonteyne (7), on a PP, 30 seconds into the second period. . . . F Dominic Zwerger had two assists for Everett. . . . Portland F Keegan Iverson (13) tied the score at 6:20 of the second period and F Joachim Blichfeld (11) broke the deadlock at 8:17. . . . McKenzie, who also had an assist, completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal, at 16:54 of the second, and a PP goal 50 seconds into the third. . . . According to Todd Vrooman, the Winterhawks’ radio voice, the last Portland player to score three times, including the Teddy Bear Goal, in the same game was F Joe Balej. He did it on Dec. 11, 1999, in a 5-4 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . McKenzie has 20 goals and 20 assists in 32 games this season. He went into this season with 12 goals and 29 assists in 138 regular-season games. . . . Iverson added three assists to his goal, while Blichfeld had one. . . . Portland G Cole Kehler made 39 saves, while Everett’s Mario Petit blocked 33. . . . Everett was without G Carter Hart and D Noah Juulsen, both of whom are at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. . . . The Silvertips were 1-3 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-6. . . . The Winterhawks had lost nine straight games to Everett. . . . Portland (18-13-1) has won three in a row; it is 10-1-1 in its last 12 games. It is third in the U.S. Division, four points out of second. . . . Everett (21-4-5) had been 6-0-1 in its previous seven games. It leads the U.S. Division by six points over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Announced attendance: 10,095.
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| SKYLER McKENZIE |
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So how's this for awesome:— PG Cougars (@PGCougars) December 11, 2016
JOSH Maser's first ever WHL goal from JOSH Curtis + JOSH Anderson. Has that ever happened b4? @TheWHL @WHLFacts
At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle broke a 4-4 tie at 19:48 of the third period and the Cougars went on
to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-4. . . . Guhle, in his first game since returning from playing three games with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, had two goals. He has seven goals this season, five of them in five games with the Cougars since he was acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . F Josh Curtis (4) and F Josh Maser (1) gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead with goals at 11:27 and 11:39 of the second period. . . . Seattle F Sami Moilanen got one of those back at 11:39, but Guhle scored his first goal at 14:15 for a 3-1 edge. . . . Moilanen, who has 10 goals, came right back, at 14:42. . . . Prince George F Brad Morrison’s 13th goal gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead at 15:18. . . . The visitors tied it on goals from F Scott Eansor 915), at 7:49 of the third period, and F Keegan Kolesar (3), at 18:36. . . . Curtis, who also had an assist, added an empty-netter at 19:56. . . . F Jansen Harkins had two assists for Prince George. . . . Eansor had two assists for Seattle and Moilanen had one. . . . The Cougars got 37 saves from G Nick McBride, while Rylan Toth stopped 24 for Seattle. . . . Prince George was 0-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-6. . . . The Cougars (22-8-2) had lost 3-2 to Seattle on Friday night. Prince George is two points out of top spot in the overall standings. . . . The Thunderbirds now are 16-11-3. They are in possession of a wild-card playoff spot and are just two points out of third place in the U.S. Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,775.
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| BRENDAN GUHLE |
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5k - If you're a fan of numbers divisible by 1,000, then you'll like that @bdnwheatkings Jordan Papirny just made career save number 5,000— WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) December 11, 2016
At Red Deer, F Brandon Hagel scored twice and F Michael Spacek had a goal and two assists to help the
Rebels to a 6-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three and last three goals. . . . Hagel now has 16 goals, as does Spacek. . . . The Rebels grabbed a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Evan Polei (13), Hagel and Spacek. . . . Brandon F Caiden Daley scored his first goal, on a PP, at 17:10 of the first period, but Red Deer D Jared Freadrich scored his third goal just 1:23 later. . . . Hagel scored his second goal, on a PP, in the second period. . . . Red Deer F Brandon Cutler scored his first goal at 15:07 of the third period. . . . The Rebels got two assists from each of D Colton Bobyk, F Austin Pratt and F Adam Musil, while Freadrich added one to his goal. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 22 shots for Red Deer, four fewer than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . The Rebels were 2-8 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 1-8. . . . Red Deer (16-12-5) is 3-0-1 in its last four games. The Rebels are third in the Central Division, one point behind the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Wheat Kings (13-14-4) are 0-5-1 in their last six games. They went 1-6-1 on the road trip that ended last night, but remain in possession of a wild-card playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 4,471.
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| BRANDON HAGEL |
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Overage centre @jesseshynkaruk9 goes skyward to celebrate his OT winner for @BladesHockey. #WHL. pic.twitter.com/LkeVVL2gr6— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) December 11, 2016
At Regina, F Jesse Shynkaruk scored 35 seconds into OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 2-1 victory
over the Pats. . . . It was the first time this season that the Pats were held to fewer than two goals. . . . Shynkaruk has 10 goals this season. . . . F Robbie Holmes scored his first goal of the season to give Regina a 1-0 lead at 1:32 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon tied it on F Gage Ramsay’s fourth goal, at 17:44 of the second period. . . . Regina F Adam Brooks had his point streak snapped at 22 games. He put up 48 points, including 34 assists, in those 22 games. . . . Holmes has three career WHL goals, all against the Blades. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell, who is from Regina, was sharp in making 39 saves. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 29 shots for the Pats. . . . The Pats were 0-2 on the PP; the Blades were 0-4. . . . D Chase Harrison (concussion), F Sam Steel and F Austin Wagner were among Regina’s scratches. The latter two are in the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. . . . The Blades improved to 12-18-2. They now are four points away from a playoff spot. . . . Regina (21-2-6) has points in eight straight (5-0-3). The loser point allowed the Pats to stay atop the overall standings, one point ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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| LOGAN FLODELL |
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2 - If your name's Brennan Menell & you play for the @WHLHurricanes, then you've scored 2 OT Winners in the past 4 days— WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) December 11, 2016
At Swift Current, D Brennan Menell scored 43 seconds into OT to give the Lethbridge Hurricanes a 5-4
victory over the Broncos. . . . Menell has five goals this season. . . . The Hurricanes led the one 4-1 early in the third period, only to have the Broncos force extra time. . . . F Jordy Bellerive (12), who also had an assist, gave the Hurricanes a 1-1 lead at 1:32 of the first period. His 12 goals came in 30 games. Last season, he finished with 11 in 65 games. . . . The Broncos tied it on F Ryan Graham’s ninth goal, just 26 seconds later. . . . The Hurricanes scored the next three goals, with F Tanner Nagel getting No. 5 at 10:57, F Colton Kroeker notching his fourth at 17:38 and F Brett Davis getting his first at 7:43 of the second. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi (7) got the comeback started 30 seconds into the third period. . . . D Colby Sissons cut the deficit to one with his fourth goal, at 11:10. . . . F Lane Pederson (14) tied it at 13:42. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Max Lajoie, with Graham and Heponiemi each getting one. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist earned the victory with 38 saves, 12 more than Taz Burman of the Broncos. . . . Swift Current was 1-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-3. . . . The Hurricanes (17-11-4) have points in 11 straight (10-0-1) and are second in the Central Division. . . . The Broncos (15-10-7) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are third in the East Division, four points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Announced attendance: 1,828.
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| BRENNAN MENELL |
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It's nice when the visiting broadcasters are not biased. #WHLHockey pic.twitter.com/5oqSOENZ04— Robert (Bob) Tory (@BTORY) December 9, 2016
At Kennewick, Wash., F Tyler Sandhu scored the game’s first and last goals and added two assists to l
ead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Sandhu, who has eight goals, scored the Teddy Bear Goal just 36 seconds into the first period. . . . F Morgan Geekie upped the lead to 2-0 at 6:34. . . . The Royals tied it as F Matt Phillips scored his 23rd goal, on a penalty shot, at 16:50 of the first, and F Regan Nagy got his 10th, at 2:57 of the second period. . . . Geekie broke the tie with his 16th goal, on a PP, at 8:05. . . . Royals F Jack Walker (14), who also had an assist, tied it 3-3 just 21 seconds into the third period. . . . Sandhu scored the game-winner on a PP at 2:24 of the third. . . . The Americans got two assists from each of F Vladislav Lukin and D Juuso Valimaki. . . . The Americans got 29 stops from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . At the other end, Griffen Outhouse stopped 30 shots. . . . Tri-City was 3-5 on the PP; the Royals were 0-4. . . . The Americans (19-11-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They are second in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Royals (16-14-3) were 2-0-1 in their previous three games. They hold down a wild-card spot, but are just two points behind third-place Kamloops in the B.C. Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,096.
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| TYLER SANDHU |
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At Langley, B.C., F Hudson Elynuik broke a 2-2 tie at 18:54 of the second period and the Spokane Chiefs
sent on to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . F Taylor Ross (4) and D Tysen Helgesen (3) gave Spokane a 2-0 lead with goals at 15:24 of the first period and 4:09 of the second. . . . The Giants tied the score with two second-period PP goals, as F Johnny Wesley (6) scored at 8:50 and D Dylan Plouffe (3) counted at 17:14. . . . Elynuik got his 12th goal on a PP. . . . F Eli Zummack (2) added insurance at 9:26 and F Kailer Yamamoto, who also had an assist, got his 19th goal at 15:21. . . . Helgesen’s third goal came in his 30th game this season. He started the season with four goals in 119 regular-season games. . . . Spokane F Keanu Yamamoto drew an assist on Elynuik’s goal and now has the WHL’s longest active point streak — 11 games. . . . F Tyler Benson had two assists for the Giants. . . . F Ondrej Najman had two assists for Spokane, while Ross added one. . . . G Jayden Sittler stopped 31 shots for the Chiefs. . . . G Ryan Kubic turned aside 21 shots at the other end. . . . Vancouver was 2-7 on the PP; Spokane was 1-3. . . . The Chiefs (13-11-6) are 2-0-1 in their last three games and now are just three points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Giants (11-18-3) have lost three in a row (0-2-1) and are 10 points off the playoff pace. . . . Announced attendance: 2,972.
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| HUDSON ELYNUIK |
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Kamloops at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Everett, 4 p.m.
Kelowna at Lethbridge, 6 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Saskatoon, 4:05 p.m.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3.
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
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In Calgary, G Mack Shields stopped 26 shots to lead the Hitmen to a 5-0 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Shields has two shutouts this season and five in his career. . . . F Jake Virtanen had a goal, his 14th, and three assists. . . . F Adam Tambellini scored twice, giving him 37, and added an assist. He’s got 14 points, 11 of them goals, in his last seven games. . . . D Jake Bean tied the Calgary franchise record for points in a freshman season. Bean had one assist, giving him 32 points in 40 games. Bean now shares the record with Matt Kinch (1996-97). . . . F Connor Rankin’s 26th goal, at 1:42 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . “We were reluctant to get traffic and reluctant to put pucks on net,” Steve Hamilton, the Oil Kings’ head coach, said on the team’s website. “Quite honestly, just didn’t have a ton of time or space today, and it’s a credit to Calgary. They did a good job of executing their game plan, and we didn’t generate much.” . . . The Hitmen (29-17-5) have won a season-high six in a row and now are second in the Central Division, one point ahead of Red Deer. Calgary has put up three shutouts in its past five games. . . . The Oil Kings (24-22-6) had won their previous two games. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, D Ivan Provorov earned four assists, all on the PP, as the Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Warriors, 6-0. . . . He’s got 50 points, including 39 assists, in 45 games. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 21 shots as he picked up his 30th victory of the season and his fourth shutout. In his career, he has five shutouts. He is 30-7-4 this season. . . . Wheat Kings F Tim McGauley drew three assists. He also got into a scrap with Moose Jaw F Brayden Point. . . . Brandon F Steve Patrick scored his 23rd goal. Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun notes: “Patrick has 23 goals in his first WHL season, matching the number scored by his father, Steve, in his rookie season with Brandon in 1978-79.” . . . Brandon was 4-for-6 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-for-4. . . . Moose Jaw F Jesse Shynkaruk took an interference major and game misconduct at 10:23 of the third period. Brandon F John Quenneville was the victim on that play. He left the game and didn’t return. . . . The Wheat Kings beat the visiting Warriors 6-4 on Friday. . . . G Alex Moodie was among Brandon’s scratches after suffering an undisclosed injury on Friday. He has an undisclosed injury. . . . Thomas Spence, an 18-year-old from Moose Jaw, served as Brandon’s backup last night. Spence, who plays for the junior B Regina Capitals, spent a night on the Calgary Hitmen bench on Jan. 6. . . . The Wheat Kings (37-9-5) are 8-0-1 in their last nine games. . . . The Warriors (20-27-4) have lost three in a row and are seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . 
In Saskatoon, G Nik Amundrud stopped 29 shots to lead the Saskatoon Blades to a 4-0 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . He’s got three shutouts this season. . . . D Brycen Martin, who came to Saskatoon from the Broncos, and F Brett Stovin each had a goal and two assists as the Blades scored three PP goals. . . . Martin has five goals; Stovin has 20. . . . The Blades were 3-for-9 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-5. . . . The Broncos remain without D Dillon Heatherington (4-6 weeks), F Coda Gordon (1-3 weeks), D Jordan Harris and F Cole Johnson. The latter two are out indefinitely. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has a game story 
In Cranbrook, F Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . He’s got 17 points, including seven goals, in 11 games since being acquired from the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Draisaitl was selected third overall by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2014 draft. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart was selected second overall by the Buffalo Sabres. He had his 10-game point streak ended by the Rockets. . . . Kelowna G Rourke Chartier opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 5:22 of the first period. He’s got 41 goals, moving him back into a tie with Medicine Hat F Cole Sanford for the WHL lead. . . . Rockets D Riley Stadel and F Tyson Baillie each had two assists. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 25 shots as he earned his 30th victory of the season. He is 30-7-3. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Red Deer, the Prince Albert Raiders got the shootout’s only two goals to beat the Rebels, 6-5. . . . Red Deer trailed 5-2 early in the third period but staged a three-goal comeback to force OT. . . . F Riley Sheen scored twice, giving him 15, and F Conner Bleackley tied it 5-5 with his 24th goal at 13:13. . . . The Raiders got shootout goals from F Simon Stransky and F Reid Gardiner to win it. . . . Gardiner scored twice in regulation, giving him 24 goals. . . . Raiders D Jesse Lees drew three assists. . . . Sheen also had an assist for a three-point night. . . . D Colton Bobyk had three assists for the Rebels and F Connor Gay had two. . . . The Raiders were 2-for-4 on the PP; the Rebels were 2-for-3. . . . Prince Albert was without D Mackenze Stewart. He got a ‘tbd’ suspension after taking a cross-checking major and game misconduct in Friday’s 10-1 loss in Calgary. . . . The Raiders (21-28-1) are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Rebels (27-15-8) have lost three in a row (0-1-2) and now are third in the Central Division, one point behind Calgary. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Austin Wagner’s two goals helped the Regina Pats to a 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Pavel Skumatov got the Hurricanes on the board first, scoring his fifth goal at 19:56 of the first period. . . . The Pats took control with four goals in 6:01 in the second half of the second period. . . . F Adam Berg got it started with his first goal at 10:24. Wagner, who has 16 goals, gave Regina the lead at 13:30 and F Sam Steel gadded his 12th goal, on the PP, at 15:01. F Patrick D’Amico ended the onslaught with his 15th at 16:25. . . . Regina F Taylor Cooper scored his 20th goal on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Lethbridge was able to dress only 16 skaters. Included in its scratches was F Tyler Wong. . . . The Pats held a 48-30 edge in shots. . . . The Pats (27-17-6) snapped a six-game losing skid (0-3-3) and appear headed to a second-place finish in the East Division. . . . The Hurricanes (12-31-6) have lost two in a row. . . . 
In Vancouver, the Kamloops Blazers scored on their first two shootout attempts and took a 3-2 victory over the Giants. . . . F Cole Ully and F Jake Kryski gave the Blazers a 2-0 lead in the shootout and that was that. . . . Ully had scored his 25th goal at 1:38 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson tied it with his 12th goal at 19:57. . . . Blazers D Marc McNulty got his sixth goal at 13:18 of the second. . . . Vancouver F Zane Jones forced OT with his 24th goal at 14:10 of the third. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 32 shots, two more than Vancouver’s Cody Porter. . . . The Blazers had D Ryan Rehill back after a one-game suspension, but D Michael Fora and D Patrik Maier remain out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Blazers (20-26-6) are third in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of Vancouver and four up on Prince George. . . . The Giants (20-28-3) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). . . . 
In Prince George, G Taran Kozun stopped 20 shots to help the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Kozun has eight shutouts in his career, two this season. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored his 20th goal of the season 15 seconds into the second period. . . . Seattle F Calvin Spencer scored his fifth goal at 10:10 of the first and it proved the winner. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore had one assist, moving him into a tie with Craig Channell for the franchise record for most career points by a defenceman. . . . The Cougars were without F Josh Anderson and D Josh Connolly, both of whom drew ‘tbd’ suspensions for incidents in Friday’s game that was won, 9-2, by the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle (25-19-6) has won two in a row and is third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Cougars (20-31-2) have lost 12 straight (0-10-2). . . . 
In Portland, F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored three goals and added three assists as the Winterhawks doubled the Everett Silvertips, 6-3. . . . The Silvertips took a 2-1 lead into the second period and nursed it until Bjorkstrand scored his second goal at 19:50. . . . Portland then outscored the visitors 4-1 in the third, with Bjorkstrand getting his 35th goal and drawing assists on the other three goals. . . . Winterhawks F Nic Petan scored once, his 10th, and added three assists, while F Paul Bittner, the third member of that line, had three assists. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo had two goals, giving him 26. . . . Only five Winterhawks earned at least a point. . . . Bjorkstrand has 70 points in 40 games. A truly gifted offensive talent from Herning, Denmark, he has 242 points, including 116 goals, in 174 regular-season games. Including 42 playoff games, he has 296 points, 140 of them goals. . . . The Silvertips got a goal, his sixth, and two assists from D Noah Juulsen. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 22 shots, eight fewer than Everett’s Austin Lotz. . . . Portland was 1-for-2 on the PP; Everett was 2-for-4. . . . The Winterhawks (31-19-3) have won eight in a row and now are one point behind the U.S. Division-leading Silvertips (31-15-4). . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., D Jack Walker had the only goal of a shootout to give the Victoria Royals a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Tri-City F Richard Nejezchleb forced OT when he scored with 52.1 seconds left in the third period and G Eric Comrie on the bench for the extra attacker. . . . Nejezchleb scored twice in this one, giving him 15. . . . Victoria F Greg Chase had given his side a 2-1 lead with his 15th goal at 1:39 of the third period. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 22 shots, seven fewer than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . The Royals (28-20-4) are headed to a second-place finish in the B.C. Division. . . . The Americans (24-24-3) have lost three in a row. They are fifth in the U.S. Division but hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . 
In Spokane, D Jason Fram came through in a big way for the Chiefs as they got past the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-3 in a shootout. . . . Fram forced OT with his ninth goal of the season on a PP at 11:04 of the third period. He then scored the game-winner in the shootout. . . . F Dryden Hunt scored for the Tigers in the shootout, with F Dominic Zwerger scoring for the Chiefs. . . . The Chiefs had been outscored 18-1 in their previous five games. . . . Chris Derrick of the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported that Spokane forwards “had been scoreless for more than 344 minutes, back to a Jan. 16 game at Everett.” . . . F Liam Stewart ended that dry spell at 17:29 of the first period. . . . That goal ended a team scoreless drought of more than 223 minutes. . . . Talk about high drama! Tigers F Cole Sanford, who is tied for the WHL lead with 41 goals, was presented with a penalty shot with 28 seconds left in the third period and the score 3-3. Spokane G Garret Hughson stopped him. . . . Medicine Hat D Ty Stanton had a goal, his sixth, and two assists. . . . The Chiefs (24-21-4) had been 0-6-1 in their previous seven games. They had been blanked in three straight games. . . . The victory lifted Spokane into sole possession of fourth place in the U.S. Division, four points behind Seattle and one ahead of Tri-City. . . . The Central Division-leading Tigers (35-12-3) had a six-game winning streak snapped. 
The Swift Current Broncos got down to the maximum three 20-year-olds by placing F Andrew Johnson and D Stephen Shmoorkoff on waivers. . . . That left the Broncos with F Carter Rigby, F Colby Cave and F Coda Gordon as their 1994-born players. . . . Johnson, from Saskatoon, got his walking papers on his 20th birthday. A second-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2009 bantam draft, he also has played for the Warriors and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 262 regular-season games, he has 102 points, including 44 goals. . . . Shmoorkoff, from Edmonton, turned 20 on Sunday. He played the first 40 games of his WHL career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 95 career games, he had seven points, including one goal.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted Tuesday night that F Gage Ramsay had left the midget AAA Saskatoon Blazers and was bound for the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. . . . On Wednesday morning, the Giants issued a news release stating that Ramsay “has been added to the club’s active roster.” . . . Ramsay, from Saskatoon, was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He turned 16 on Wednesday. Last season, with the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos, Ramsay had 45 points, 20 of them goals, in 35 games. This season, he had three points in three games with the Blazers. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Ramsay had left the Giants during their training camp in order to play midget hockey.
Earlier, it was mentioned here that the Saskatoon Blades had posted the 1,600th victory in franchise history and that it came in game No. 3,507. . . . Les Lazaruk, the Blades’ long-time (that just means he’s getting old!) radio voice, checks in with some clarifying numbers:
It’s good to see that Mark Ferner, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, is in mid-season form.
D Jason Fram, the captain of the Spokane Chiefs, addressed the crowd prior to a game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night. Fram, on behalf of his teammates, apologized for the inappropriate actions of a few teammates during the national anthem prior to Friday's game against visiting Seattle. . . . In that incident, players who were scratched from the lineup apparently made some inappropriate comments during the anthem. . . . Spokane general manager Tim Speltz addressed the issue prior to the Chiefs' 2-1 victory over the Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday. Speltz appeared on Spokane radio, explained what actions the team has taken and issued a broad apology.
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