Final WHL weekend: What's on the line? . . . Nanaimo team may move . . . Sacilotto off to Croatia

F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2000-04) has signed a one-year extension with the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL). This season, he had 19 goals and 17 assists in 43 games. . . .

F Dan DaSilva (Portland, 2002-05) has signed a one-year extension with Linz (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He was second in the league’s scoring race this season, putting up 70 points, including 31 goals, in 53 games. . . .

F Byron Ritchie (Lethbridge, 1993-97) has announced his retirement. This season, he had four goals and 15 assists in 35 games with MODO Örnsköldsvik (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He was team captain for two seasons. . . . Ritchie has yet to fully recover from a concussion he suffered in January. Ritchie told Örnsköldsvik newspaper Allehanda: "I do not know if I understand it yet, to be honest. It is a strange feeling that I never had. I have not been able to train at all. I've only been walking the dogs. In the afternoons and evenings, I often get headaches and fatigue. It affected me a lot the first month. I slept really all the time, but now I can live normally. Except that I can't work out. I'm going to focus on being a father now. I want to be involved in my children's sports activities. It feels good that I can focus on the family now."

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We are into the final three days of the WHL’s 2016-17 regular season, and you are wondering what’s up for grabs.

Well, of the 16 available playoff spots only one — the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot — is still available.

The Calgary Hitmen have a three-point edge over the Saskatoon Blades, each team having two games remaining. The Hitmen will go home-and-home with the Kootenay Ice, while the Saskatoon Blades do the same with the Prince Albert Raiders. To the winner goes a first-round matchup with the Regina Pats, the best team in the WHL during this regular season.

In the East Division, the second-place Moose Jaw Warriors and third-place Swift Current Broncos will meet in the first round. They will play a home-and-home series this weekend — the Warriors hold a 3-1-0 edge — which means these teams could end up playing nine straight games against each other.

In the Central Division, the pennant-winning Medicine Hat Tigers and the defending-champion Brandon Wheat Kings will be first-round opponents. The Wheat Kings will be the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card team. The Tigers won three of the four regular-season games between the teams. Don’t forget that Brandon will play its first-round home games in Dauphin, Man., where the Credit Union Centre has 1,763 seats and room for 247 standees.

Meanwhile, the second-place Lethbridge Hurricanes will tangle with the third-place Red Deer Rebels. The Hurricanes are 23 points ahead of the Rebels going into the final weekend. In the season series, Lethbridge was 5-0-1; Red Deer was 1-4-1.

In the Western Conference, we know the eight playoff teams . . . we just don’t know where they will finish. Seriously! Not one of the eight teams knows where it will wind up or who it will meet in the opening round.

In the B.C. Division, the first-place Prince George Cougars hold a two-point lead over the Kelowna Rockets, who are three points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. All three have two games remaining — the Cougars go home-and-home with the Blazers, while the Rockets to the same with the Vancouver Giants.

The fourth-place Victoria Royals can’t advance within the division but will go into the playoffs as a wild-card entry. They hold down the first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Tri-City Americans. The Royals will finish up against the Everett Silvertips, playing one at home and one on the road. The Americans will go home-and-home with the Spokane Chiefs, before a Sunday meeting with the Silvertips.

The Americans also are fourth in the U.S. Division, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who have two games remaining. The Winterhawks, who can’t move up in the division, have two games left — against the Seattle Thunderbirds and Spokane Chiefs.

The Thunderbirds go into the weekend leading the U.S. Division by a point over the Silvertips. If it comes down to Sunday night, the Thunderbirds are at home to Vancouver, while the Silvertips visit the Americans.

No matter how it all unfolds, though, the playoffs will begin on March 24.

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The WHL has suspended F Tyler Coulter of the Brandon Wheat Kings for three games after he took a charging major and game misconduct during a 6-3 loss to the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Tuesday. Coulter sat out Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over the Warriors in Moose Jaw and will miss Brandon last two regular-season games this weekend. . . . The Tri-City Americans will be without F Landon Fuller for one game after he was suspended for a charging major and game misconduct during a 6-1 loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks on Tuesday. . . . The Americans will get back D Dakota Krebs after he served a one-game suspension for a cross-checking major and game misconduct during a 5-1 loss to the visiting Everett Silvertips on Saturday.

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The WHL honoured the late Norbert Heinzelmann with one of its 2016-17 Distinguished Service Awards prior to a game in Kelowna on Wednesday night. Heinzelmann, who died on Sept. 2 at the age of 57, was Kelowna’s head scorekeeper and also the head of its off-ice officials since the franchise relocated from Tacoma, Wash., in 1995.

In Kamloops, the Blazers, their off-ice officials and some media members raised $1,015 in memory of Pat Rozek and presented it to the Darcy Robinson Memorial Foundation. The foundation helps Kamloops children who otherwise couldn’t afford to play hockey.

Rozek, who died on Dec. 22 at the age of 64, had been the Blazers’ official scorekeeper for 25 years. He also worked the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and numerous other such events.

Rozek would seem to be a prime candidate for a Distinguished Service Award, too.

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Ken Wagner, the majority owner of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, told a news conference on Thursday that the franchise needs help. In fact, Wagner said that without some local ownership, the team may move elsewhere on Vancouver Island. . . . Wagner told the news conference: “We’ve hit a wall in Nanaimo as an ownership. We’ve tried for a lot of years to make it work. . . . We are done writing cheques. We’re spent out. . . . The business side of it is the numbers are the numbers. The emotional side is we don’t want to move the club.” . . . If local ownership isn’t found in the next two weeks, Wagner said he is looking at moving the franchise or shutting it down. . . . Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News Bulletin has more right here.

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ENIO SACILOTTO

Enio Sacilotto of the Victoria Royals has been named head coach of the Croatian national team that will play in the 2017 IIHF World Championship (Division 1, Group B) in Belfast, Ireland, from April 23 through April 29. . . . Sacilotto was an assistant coach with the Royals from 2011-16 before being named director of prospect development and WHL scout prior to this season. . . . Croatia will be in a group with Estonia, Great Britain, Japan, Lithuania and the Netherlands. The tournament winner will be promoted to Division 1, Group A. . . . Sacilotto isn’t a stranger to Croatia, having worked as the Croatian Ice Hockey Federation’s U-18 and U-20 head coach in 2009-10. He also was head coach of Medvescak Zagreb, a Croatian team, when it was in the Austrian league in 2009-10. . . . Sacilotto, who is from Vancouver, B.C., will return to the Royals when the tournament in Ireland is over.

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Players of the national women's team of Russia support your decision #BeBoldForChange pic.twitter.com/9c7Qnr6fV0

— Ludmila Belyakova (@belyakova9) March 16, 2017

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If the playoffs began today . . . 

Eastern Conference

Regina vs. Calgary

Medicine Hat vs. Brandon

Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current

Lethbridge vs. Red Deer

—

Western Conference

Seattle vs. Tri-City

Prince George vs. Victoria

Kelowna vs. Kamloops

Everett vs. Portland

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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:35 p.m.

Calgary vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.

Medicine Hat at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.

Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.

Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.

Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

Spokane vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

——

SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.

Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.

Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.

Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.

Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.

Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.

Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.

Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.

——

SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Edmonton, 4 p.m.

Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.

Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.

END OF REGULAR SEASON

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Ex-junior player tells his story; franchise records for Oil Kings

D Nick Ross (Regina, Kamloops, Vancouver, 2004-09) has signed for the rest of this season with Asiago (Italy, Serie A). This season, he put up 28 points, including eight goals, in 39 games with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). . . .
F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2001-04) has signed a two-year extension with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He is second in the league’s scoring race with 43 points, including 25 goals, in 44 games.
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Gregg Sutch was a good enough hockey player that he was selected 11th overall by the Sarnia Sting in the OHL draft. In 2010, the Buffalo Sabres picked him in the fifth round of the NHL draft. . . . Before his OHL career was done, he had played 255 games for four teams over five seasons. . . . Sutch, who turned 22 on Feb. 9, walked away from the game earlier this season. . . . Right here, he documents everything you might want to know about his hockey career. This is straight from the heart and should be mandatory reading for every junior hockey player, every player who aspires to play junior hockey and every parent of every one of those same players. . . . This is the real thing!
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If you haven’t heard, there was an ugly situation during a minor hockey tournament in Winnipeg on the weekend. Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports has more right here. If you watch the video with the volume up, make sure there aren’t any young ears around because there’s plenty of hockey being spoken, especially by one woman. . . . The tournament apparently wasn’t sanctioned by Hockey Winnipeg, Hockey Manitoba or Hockey Canada, so it’s doubtful that much more will be heard about this one.
But, as Sager notes: “The timing is uncanny. Hockey Winnipeg just last week announced that hockey parents, at least one in each household with a child registered, must take an online Respect in Sports course before their daughter or son can take to the ice. Some knee-jerkers have howled, predictably, that the $12 course won't deter any of the powder-keg parents and that it's more likely than not the more level-headed co-head of the household will end up taking the course.”
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OK, shootout fans, this one is for you. The Sherwood Park Crusaders and host Drayton Valley Thunder went 19 rounds before settling an AJHL game on Monday. After playing to a 3-3 draw through OT, it was time for the skills competition. Each team’s 18 skaters shot once and the teams still were tied, and each team scored twice, so they started all over again. Drayton Valley F Jamie Waddington, who had scored in the first round, struck again, giving the Thunder a 4-3 victory. . . . Mitch Martell, who came on in relief of Marc Olivier Daigle, got the goaltending victory, while Tommy Nixon was in goal for the Crusaders.
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The Portland Winterhawks will be gunning for their 17th straight victory tonight when they play host to the Prince George Cougars. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot has 29 points in 18 games since playing for Canada at the world junior tournament. He has 59 points this season, five behind Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds, who leads all WHL defencemen. . . . Pouliot also has 194 career points as he looks to become the sixth defenceman in Portland history to get to 200 points. . . . Portland F Nic Petan and Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg lead the WHL in scoring, each with 100 points. Petan shared the scoring title with teammate Brendan Leipsic last season. The last player to lead the WHL in points in consecutive seasons? F Rob Brown of the Kamloops Blazers (1985-86, 1986-87). . . .
Kootenay Ice F Sam Reinhart now owns the franchise record for most consecutive games with an assist (10). The streak is still alive, too. . . . Reinhart has 84 points, one off his career high from last season. . . . He also is riding a 17-game point streak, one behind the one that Medicine Hat Tigers F Curtis Valk has put together. F Josh Winquist of the Everett Silvertips had an 18-game run earlier this season.
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TUESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Victoria at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Prince Albert at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
---
MONDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, the Victoria Royals scored the only two goals of the shootout and beat the Warriors, 4-3. . . . F Logan Nelson and F Jack Walker both scored in the skills competition as the Royals improved to 2-0-0 on this five-game swing into the East Division. Overall, they have won eight straight road games. . . . The Warriors led 2-1 after the first period and took that lead into the third. . . . F Austin Carroll, with his 30th, at 3:03, and F Axel Blomqvist, with his 21st, via the PP, at 8:23, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Moose Jaw F Jack Rodewald forced OT at 15:58. He’s got 20 goals this season. . . . D Travis Brown, dealt from Moose Jaw to Victoria in January, had two assists and was named the game’s first star. . . . Among the Warriors’ scratches was Sam Fioretti (undisclosed injury). They also had F Scott Cooke back after having served a two-game WHL suspension. . . . The Royals (41-16-4) are third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who have two games in hand. . . . The Warriors (15-34-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . .

In Regina, G Daniel Wapple turned aside 23 shots to lead the Pats to a 4-0 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . This was Wapple’s first shutout this season and the fourth of his career. The 18-year-old from Saskatoon now has posted shutouts with three different team; he had one with the Medicine Hat Tigers earlier this season and one with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season. . . . F Dyson Stevenson’s 27th goal of the season, a PP effort at 6:55of the second period, stood up as the winner. . . . Stevenson later scored No. 28 and also added an assist. . . . F Morgan Klimchuk got his 20th goal and had an assist. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 35 shots. . . . Regina F Dryden Hunt was helped from the ice in the first period after taking a hit from Brandon D Colton Waltz. Hunt, who has a history of brain injuries, didn’t return. . . . The Wheat Kings had F Richard Nejezchleb back in their lineup, but still are missing F Rihards Bukarts, D Rene Hunter, F Jayce Hawryluk and F John Quenneville. . . . The Wheat Kings are winless in six straight games (0-4-2). . . . The Pats (31-22-6) are back in sole possession of first place in the East Division, two points ahed of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-24-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Swift Current. . . .

In Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders opened a 3-0lead and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . F Collin Valcourt, with his 21st, got the Raiders rolling at 5:09 of the first period. . . . Former Broncos D Graeme Craig added his fifth goal of the season at 7:52 of the second, via the PP, and F Leon Draisaitl added more insurance, with his 26th, also on the PP, at 7:30 of the third. . . . Broncos D Julius Honka scored his 14th, on the PP, at 10:37 of the third. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 31 shots. . . . The Raiders were 2-for-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-3. . . . The Broncos were without F Nathan Burns (undisclosed injury). . . . The Raiders (27-28-4) are two points behind the Red Deer Rebels, who hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos (29-23-8) are sixth. . . .

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got two goals from each of four players as they whipped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 12-0. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson, F Curtis Lazar, F Mitch Moroz and F Brett Pollock each scored twice. Samuelsson now has 28 goals, while Lazar has 32, Moroz has 31 and Pollock 23. . . . Moroz, playing in his 200th WHL regular-season game, also had three helpers, as did D Dysin Mayo. F Reid Petryk scored his 15th goal -- a PP effort at 2:17 of the first, it was the winner -- and set up four others. . . . D Cody Corbertt, Samuelsson and F Edgars Kulda, who also had a goal, each had two assists. . . . Edmonton outshot the visitors, 53-25. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry put up his WHL-leading seventh shutout this season and the 13th of his career. Jarry also set the Edmonton franchise record for shutouts in one season, breaking his record from last season. . . . Jarry also leads the WHL with 36 victories. . . . Lethbridge F Carter Amson left at 13:34 of the second period with a checking-from-behind major and a game misconduct. . . . Edmonton was 6-for-11 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-for-3. . . . The Oil Kings set franchise single-game records for goals in one game and PP goals in one game. . . . In their last three meetings, the Oil Kings have outscored the Hurricanes, 27-3. . . . Edmonton won the season series, 5-1, with a 35-11 edge in goals. Lethbridge actually won the opener, 5-3, then lost 2-1 and 3-2. After that, it was 7-3, 8-0 and 12-0. . . . Edmonton (41-14-2) is tied with the Calgary Hitmen atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Edmonton has more victories (41-39) and three games in hand. . . . Lethbridge (12-44-5) has the WHL’s poorest record, its .238 winning percentage slightly worse than that of the Kamloops Blazers (.242). . . .

In Calgary, F Brady Brassart scored three times and D Travis Sanheim drew five assists as the Hitmen dumped the Red Deer Rebels, 7-1. . . . Brassart now has 30 goals, five off his career high from last season. He has 251 points in 311 regular-season games. . . . Brassart. who has four career hat tricks, is riding a 10-game point streak, with 21 points, 10 of them goals, over that stretch. . . . Sanheim, a 17-year-old freshman from Elkhorn, Man., has 25 points, including four goals, in 55 games. He has eight assists in his last two outings. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 39 shots. . . . G Chris Driedger was on the bench in support of Shields, suggesting that his team-issued suspension has ended. . . . F Adam Tambellini had a goal and three assists for the Hitmen. It was his 13th goal and came via the PP. . . . Tambellini has seven points over his last two games and 14 in seven games. . . . The Hitmen also got two goals from F Joe Mahon, who has seven, and a goal and two assists from F Greg Chase. He’s got 31 goals. . . . D Aaron Hyman, a third-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, got his first WHL point, an assist, on the game’s final goal. He plays for the midget AAA Northwest Calgary Athletic Association Flames. . . . The Hitmen (39-15-6), who have won seven in a row, are tied with Edmonton atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. . . . Red Deer (28-28-4) is 1-7-2 in its last 10 and holds a two-point lead over Prince Albert in the race for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “12 - @EdmOilKings 12-0 win today was the WHL's largest margin of victory since LETH beat the Edmonton Ice 14-2 on Oct. 2, 1996.”
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One more from WHL Facts: “12 - Prior to today's 12 goals by @EdmOilKings, the last time a team put up that many was on Oct. 12, 2009 when @tigershockey beat KAM 12-5.”


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Richard Doerksen, the WHL's vice-president, hockey, presents the Scotty Munro
Memorial Trophy, which goes to the regular-season champion, to a representative
of the Portland Winterhawks late in the regular season. Just wondering, but might
that be Mike Johnston in disguise? (The picture arrived via Twitter on
Wednesday evening. Nice to know someone has a sense of humour.)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had six goals and nine assists in 28 games with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B) and 17 goals and 13 assists in 24 games with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) this season. . . .

F Brad Moran (Calgary, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract with Linz Black Wings (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had five goals and three assists in 37 games with Växjö (Sweden, Elitserien) and five goals and 10 assists in 14 games with SaiPa Lappeenranta (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. The head coach of Linz is Rob Daum, who coached, either as the head man or as an assistant, with Prince Albert, Swift Current, and Lethbridge.
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Dennis Lehane, the author of Mystic River and Shutter Island, just to name two terrific books, is from Boston. He has written a piece for The New York Times that is headlined Messing With the Wrong City. . . . It is good and it is right here.
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F Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos is the Eastern Conference’s player of the year. Lowry, who has played for the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps since the WHL season ended, signed with the parent Winnipeg Jets of the NHL earlier this week. He was a third-round selection in the 2011 NHL draft. . . . Lowry, a son of Victoria Royals head coach Dave Lowry, had 88 points, including 45 goals, this season. As Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings, pointed out on Twitter, Lowry scored 21.8 per cent of the Broncos’ goals and was in on 42.7 per cent of them.
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The Western Conference’s player of the year will be revealed today. I wasn’t given a vote, but had I, it would have gone to Tri-City Americans F Justin Feser.
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I’m not about to pretend that the late Herb Brooks and I were friends, but we did spend a few intermissions talking hockey in the late, great Crushed Can in Moose Jaw. He loved nothing better than to while away the time talking about our game. . . . So I was pleased to see that St. Cloud State University has announced it will rename its National Hockey and Event Center in honour of Brooks. The facility is to be known as the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
From College Hockey News: “Brooks coached the 1986-87 Huskies (25-10-1) to third-place at the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship. And, acting on a promise he made to the late hockey great John Mariucci, Brooks worked with St. Cloud State officials to elevate Husky Hockey to a NCAA Division I program. He also helped secure construction funding for the arena that bears his name. . . . The $14.7-million renovation and expansion, including a four-story atrium, expanded suites, club-level seating and more, is expected to be complete by mid-June. A campaign to fund remodeled locker rooms and a training area for men's and women's hockey is under way. Plans call for additional suites, club lounges and further development of a concert and event-ready facility.”
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Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo! Sports takes a look right here at Travis Green, the 42-year-old interim head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, as he prepares to take his (and Mike Johnston’s team) into the Western Conference final against the Kamloops Blazers.

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The QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan recently changed hands for $3.4 million. The P.E.I. Rocket now is for sale and is said to have a price tag of $3.5 million hanging from its cap. Speculation in hockey circles is that a WHL owner was approached to see if his team was available and he said, yes, for $9 million. Hmmmm. . . .
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F Markus McCrea, 21, has committed to attend Selkirk College and play for the Saints, who are located in Castlegar and play in the B.C. Intercollegiate League. McCrea, from Canyon Lake, Calif., spent three seasons (2008-11) with the Everett Silvertips. He has played the last two seasons with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars and Youngstown Phantoms, totaling 38 goals, including 22 goals, in 108 games. McCrea plans to enroll in Selkirk’s Business Administration program.
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Who will be the No. 1 selection in the NHL’s 2012 draft? “To me, (Seth Jones) is as clear-cut a No. 1 as you can be,” former NHL GM Craig Button told Kevin Allen of USA TODAY Sports. . . . Jones, of course, is finishing up his first major junior season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. . . . Allen’s complete story is right here.
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In Red Deer, the Rosetown Redwings beat the Kenora Thistles 8-0 in Allan Cup play. The Rosetown roster is full of former WHLers, starting with head coach Keegan McAvoy and including the likes of F Shane Endicott, D Derek Endicott, F Dean Beuker and F J.J. Hunter. . . . Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate reports that today’s quarterfinals feature Rosetown (1-1) against the Stony Plain Eagles (0-2) and the Fort St. John Flyers (1-1) against Kenora. . . . The Clarenville, Nfld., Caribous (2-0) and Bentley Generals (2-0) are through to the semifinals. . . . The championship final is to be televised by TSN on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MT.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Spokane Chiefs announced Wednesday that assistant coach Jon Klemm is leaving the club “citing the desire to be closer to his family.” . . . Klemm was the Chiefs’ captain when they won the Memorial Cup in 1991 and later went on to an NHL career that included two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche. He returned to the Chiefs as an assistant coach in 2009 and has filled that position for four years. . . . According to a Chiefs’ news release, Klemm “will return to Dallas after getting married this summer. His four teenage children live in Chicago.” . . . "I will get more opportunities to see my kids and see my son play hockey. I haven't seen him play in three years. This move gives me flexibility in the winter months," Klemm said. . . .

The OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs have moved assistant coach Darren Keily to director of hockey operations — he also is assistant GM — and signed Jeff Reid as assistant coach. Reid, who has a lot of junior B and junior C coaching experience, has worked in the OHL as an assistant coach with the Owen Sound Attack (2007-10). He will work alongside head coach Todd Gill, who has completed two seasons with the Frontenacs.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
Series opens tonight in Edmonton; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.
Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald sets the scene right here.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
Series opens Friday in Portland.
———
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (16):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (5):
None


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Petr Kalus (Regina, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Allsvenskan) after his release by Fassa (Italy, Serie A). He had eight goals and 14 assists in 20 games with Fassa this season. . . .
F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) after being released by mutual agreement from his contract with Sierre (Switzerland, NL B). He had six goals and nine assists in 28 games with Sierre this season.
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The Canadian Lacrosse Association has moved to get fighting out of its game.
As a result of recommendations made by a task force established by the CLA, its board of directors has approved changes to Rule 45 in the Box Lacrosse Rule and Situation Handbook.
Starting with the 2013 season, “A major penalty and game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any player/goalkeeper who fights.”
As well, “if there is an instigator or clear aggressor in a fight, a major penalty and a game misconduct plus any other penalties shall be assessed to the offending player(s). Where an instigator or clear aggressor penalty is assessed the non-offending player shall not receive a game misconduct.”
“If an athlete, at any level, takes part in a fight, they will be removed from the game,” the CLA said in a news release. “Fighting in the sport is an unnecessary risk — it is a dangerous activity for any athlete to be a part of. Incidents of concussions can increase with every fight that happens; it is becoming more apparent that a blow to the head area has the potential to cause severe and long-term injury.
“The health and safety of all participants in Canada’s national summer sport is amongst the leading concerns of the Canadian Lacrosse Association.”
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If you missed it, our last poll closed earlier in the week. It began with: The disciplinary measures taken by the WHL against the Portland Winterhawks were . . .
“Far too stiff” was the runaway winner, getting 44 per cent of the 278 votes that were cast. That worked out to 123 votes.
“Just right” drew 80 votes, or 28 per cent.
“Too stiff” ended up with 45 votes (16 per cent) and “not stiff enough” got 30 votes (10 per cent).
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If you are looking for books as Christmas gifts — even if it’s a gift to yourself — here are two more suggestions, both of which are hockey related.
You absolutely can’t go wrong with Wayne Gretzky’s Ghost, a book by Roy MacGregor that is subtitled And Other Tales from a Lifetime in Hockey.
If Canada had a sports essayist emeritus, it would be MacGregor, who writes for The Globe and Mail.
This work contains a whole lot of previously published essays and it seems that every single one of them is terrific. You start reading and one just flows into another and into the one after that.
Good stuff!
Chapter One, which is titled Wayne Gretzky’s Ghost, is awfully good. I was intrigued because that chapter deals with MacGregor ghost-writing a newspaper column that carried Gretzky’s byline.
The chapter also gives the rest of the essays a tough act to follow. But MacGregor is up to the task, and we shouldn’t be surprised.
And don’t think for a moment that his book is all essays about players past and present. Because it isn’t. There is, for example, a scathing look at Hockey Night in Canada that was published in The Globe and Mail on Oct. 2, 2010. And it was as true as last season ended as it was when it first appeared in print.
If you need a hockey fix with the NHL locked out, this will get you well into 2013.
Another option is Over The Line (Wrist Shots, Slap Shots, and Five-Minute Majors), but the retired Al Strachan, who was one of the last ‘pure’ sports writers, a guy who wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is.
As he reminds us in the Introduction, he’s the guy who wrote Why the Leafs Suck “and was fired from Hockey Night in Canada as a result.”
In this book, Strachan tells story after story after story from his days covering the NHL. When he covered hockey, writers were in the dressing rooms, in the coaches’ offices and in the bars with players and coaches. So there are a lot of anecdotes here.
There also is a terrific Foreword that was written by the afore-mentioned MacGregor. “I laughed until I cried at some parts,” he writes. “And I wept for what has become of sports journalism over recent years.”
You really can’t go wrong with either book, both of which are available in soft cover.
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F Mason Wilgosh (Tri-City, 2007-12), who now plays for the U of Prince Edward Island, has drawn a 12-game suspension for a headshot during a Nov. 30 game. He won’t be eligible to return until Feb. 8, which is when UPEI plays its final regular-season game.
Monty Mosher of the Halifax ChronicleHerald has more right here.
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G Bolton Pouliot hasn’t played in more than a month but the Red Deer Rebels will turn to him tonight against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. Patrik Bartosak, the Rebel’s starter, now is with the Czech Republic’s national junior team. . . . Spencer Tremblay will be backing up Pouliot. . . . Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate also reports that F Filip Vasko (knee), F Cory Millette (facial cut) and F Jesse Miller (undisclosed) won’t play. . . . F Adam Musil, 15, will play for Red Deer. He has 22 points in 17 games with the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians. The younger brother of Edmonton Oil Kings D David Musil, Adam was the sixth overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Brandon, the teams combined for 93 shots as the Saskatoon Blades got past  the Wheat Kings, 7-5. . . . Earlier in the season, the Blades lost 9-6 in Brandon. . . . F Matej Stransky had a goal and two assists for the Blades. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk led Brandon with a goal and three helpers. . . . Saskatoon G Alex Moodie stopped 35 shots, while Brandon’s Corbin Boes blocked 46. . . . The Blades have won three in a row. . . . F Brenden Walker, who was traded from Brandon to Saskatoon over the summer, broke a 4-4 at 15:06 of the third period. The Blades weren’t caught after that goal. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Tyson Baillie scored twice as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Kootenay Ice, 3-1. . . . The Rockets scored three times in the third period. . . . F Collin Shirley gave the Ice a 1-0 lead on an early second-period PP goal. . . . Baillie tied it on a PP at 12:42 of the third, with D Colten Martin’s second goal of the season, at 14:17, winning it. . . . The Rockets were without F Henrik Nyberg, who sat out the first of a two-game suspension handed out through supplemental discipline for something that happened against the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday. . . .

In Prince George, G Steve Myland earned his first WHL shutout as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Cougars, 2-0. . . . Myland, getting a start with G Eetu Laurikainen having left for the Finnish national junior team, stopped 17 shots. . . . Broncos F Adam Lowry scored his 17th goal as he ran his point streak to nine games. . . . D Reece Scarlett was back in the Broncos’ lineup after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. (Injured in Kelowna) . . . The game featured two minor penalties, both against the Cougars. . . . The Cougars had two 2013 bantam draft picks in their roster in F Brad Morrison and D Jansen Harkins. Harkins was the second overall pick, while Morrison went seventh overall. . . . The Broncos went 2-3-0 on their B.C. Division tour, with all three losses one-goal decisions. . . .

In Calgary, F Colin Smith scored twice in regulation time and once in the circus as the Kamloops Blazers came from behind to beat the Hitmen, 3-2. . . . With the Blazers trailing 2-0 in the second period, Smith scored to get his club to within one. He then tied it 19 seconds into the third period on a PP. . . . Calgary F Victor Rask scored the first goal of the shootout. Smith tied it and F Brendan Ranford won it after G Cole Cheveldave made a glove save on Calgary F Greg Chase. . . . Smith leads the WHL in goals (25), assists (36) and points (61). . . . The Blazers, who have won four straight, are 6-0-0 on the road in the Central Division this season. . . . Kamloops plays in Edmonton tonight. . . . The Blazers are back in sole possession of first-place overall, two points ahead of the idle Portland Winterhawks. But after tonight’s action the Winterhawks will hold five games in hand. . . .

In Seattle, F Alex Gogolev scored two goals and set up anotehr as the Victoria Royals dumped the Thunderbirds, 6-2. . . . The Royals scored the game’s first two goals and led 4-1 after the second period. . . . Gogolev has 13 goals this season. . . . The teams combined for 120 penalty minutes, with Seattle taking 70 of those. There were 18 roughing minors handed out. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Josh Winquist scored the only goal of the circus as the Everett Silvertips beat the Tri-City Americans, 2-1. . . . Winquist was the first shooter in the shootout. . . . F Justin Feser scored for the Americans, on the PP, at 17:28 of the first period. . . . Everett F CarsonStadnyk tied it at 10:46 of the third period. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 45 shots. . . . Feser goal leaves him with 285 career regular-season points with the Americans. He is tied for eighth, with co-owner Stu Barnes, on the franchise’s all-time list. F Dylan Gyori is seventh (286).
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Ben Walker, Victoria
F Ryan Chynoweth, Tri-City

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From Portland D Josh Hanson (@HansoloCup4): “The next person that cuts me off without giving the courteous ‘thank you’ wave will get their tires slashed. #NotEvenJoking #HaveSomeManners”
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From Vancouver G Liam Liston (@liamliston): “just wondering who’s gonig to refund me my 7 dollars and 1h37 mins of my time for watching ‘killing them softly’ . . . you let me down Brad.”
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More from Liston: “And you’re lucky that it was cheap movie night or else I’d be asking for the full 15 back #joke”
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From veteran scout Mike Fraser (@MikeFraser29), now with the Brandon Wheat Kings: “Last three games I’ve watched have each ended in ties. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. @gdrinnan #shootoutssuck”

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Wednesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Adam Courchaine (Medicine Hat, Vancouver, 2001-05) signed a one-year contract extension with the DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 52 games for the Metro Stars last season. . . .
G Kyle Moir (Swift Current, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with Eindhoven Kemphanen (Netherlands, Eredivisie). He had a 3.25 GAA and a .896 save percentage in nine games for Lakehead University (CIS) and allowed six goals in one game with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) last season. . . .
F Jeremy Williams (Swift Current, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 32 goals and 23 assists in 75 games for the Connecticut Whale (AHL) and was pointless in one game with the New York Rangers last season.
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KONOWALCHUK

The WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds will introduce Steve Konowalchuk as their new head coach at a news conference today.
Konowalchuk, an assistant coach with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche for the last two seasons, replaces Rob Sumner who was fired following last season.
Konowalchuk, 38, is a native of Salt Lake City, who played two seasons (1990-92) with the Portland Winterhawks. He put up 196 points in 136 regular-season games.
He played in 790 NHL games over 14 seasons, splitting time between the Washington Capitals and Colorado.
Seattle’s move leaves the Everett Silvertips and Moose Jaw Warriors as the only WHL teams without head coaches under contract.
To the best of my knowledge, Jim Riley, a freelancer who covers the Thunderbirds for the Seattle Times, was first with this story.
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Cory Wolfe, who is as good as any hockey writer in the game today, is leaving the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
Wolfe is leaving the newspaper to work in internal communications with Cameco.
You can bet that he will be missed by the other WHL beat writers.
It is a sad day when a talented writer with a terrific work ethic ends up leaving the newspaper business, but it is a sign of the times.
With the prevalence of the Internet in our day-to-day lives, newspapers everywhere are trying to find a business model that works. To date, that hasn’t happened.
Kevin Paul Dupont, a longtime hockey writer with the Boston Globe, tweeted on this subject Wednesday:
“If Exxon did all the work, brought gas to pump, gave free fill-ups . . . viable biz model?”
That about sums it up.
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The WHL’s board of governors wrapped up its annual general meeting in Calgary on Wednesday by adopting what it is calling a “Seven Point Plan” aimed at reducing blows the head and concussions.
When I read — and re-read — the WHL’s press release I came up with eight points.
1. Adoption of new playing rules, specifically a checking to the head penalty for “lateral and blind-side hits to an unsuspecting opponent in open ice where the head is targeted or is the principle point of contact.”
2. More severe suspensions for repeat offenders.
3. Production of an educational video on risks of concussion.
4. Educating the players to be more responsible for themselves on the ice.
5. A seminar for all WHL head coaches and general managers.
6. New soft cap elbow and shoulder pads.
7. Expanded research data.
8. A review of all WHL arena facilities (and their) safety standards.
The WHL, according to its release, “also tightened the standard on late hits as well as charging and interference penalties to address players building up significant speed and hitting the opponent along the boards with excessive force.”
This all sounds great and for the sake of the young men involved — WHL players suffered more than 100 concussions in 2010-11 — you hope that it has a positive impact.
And as is usually the case with offseason changes, the proof will be in the pudding. So let's see what happens when another season gets here.
The one disappointing thing is that the WHL has done nothing to limit fighting. So while the WHL is acting in an attempt to cut down on checks to the head, it has done nothing to limit fists to faces.
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The WHL’s board of governors also heard from five teams wanting to play host to the 2013 MasterCard Memorial Cup.
In the end, they set aside the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince George Cougars, while the Kelowna Rockets, Red Deer Rebels and Saskatoon Blades will make final presentations at a board meeting in Calgary on Oct. 12.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have launched their Sporcle page.
Sporcle? It is a popular quiz website.
There are two Thunderbirds quizzes up there now, one on coaches and the other on captains, with more promised.
Feel free to check it out.
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JUST NOTES: F Juuso Puustinen, who played with the Kamloops Blazers (2006-08), has signed a two-year deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. According to capgeek.com, Puustinen, a free agent, gets a US$60,000 salary in the AHL and $610,000 in the NHL. He also got a $120,000 signing bonus over two seasons. . . . Puustinen, 23, was a fifth-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2006 NHL draft. . . . A Portland Winterhawks fan emails to let us know that “to the best of my knowledge, Andrew Ference becomes the third Hawk to win both the Memorial Cup and Stanley Cup. He joins John Kordic and Marian Hossa.” . . . The WHL office said it will release its preseason schedule on June 23 with the regular-season schedule coming out June 29.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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