Hurricane blows through Lethbridge . . . Rockets, Raiders in blockbuster . . . Big night for DeBrusk

It turns out that the Lethbridge Hurricanes fired general manager Brad Robson on Tuesday. The board of directors just chose not to announce it until Wednesday.
Head coach Drake Berehowsky was fired on Tuesday, but the only communication from the team was a terse three-paragraph news release. No one from the organization provided any other communication.
Why?
Because it seems that Robson fired Berehowsky without input from the board.

President Doug Paisley says GM Brad Robson chose to fire coach Drake Berehowsky. Team then fired Robson. #whl #yql
— Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith) December 10, 2014

Rather than provide any comment on Berehowsky's firing, the board met on Tuesday evening and decided to pull the plug on Robson. He was informed of the move sometime Tuesday night.
Robson, whose son Blake is the Hurricanes’ head scout, spent four seasons as Lethbridge’s assistant GM, as well as director of player personnel and scouting, before replacing Rich Preston as GM after the 2012-13 season.
Under Robson, the Hurricanes went 12-55-5 last season. This season, they were 6-19-4 when the axe fell. His tenure was marked by the defections of a number of players and two trades in which the Brandon Wheat Kings landed defencemen Ryan Pilon and Macoy Erkamps, along with forward Reid Duke. Pilon and Duke had been the third and five overall selections in the 2011 bantam draft.
Robson's contract isn't due to expire until after next season.
At a Wednesday news conference, Doug Paisley, who stepped in as president of the board a couple of months ago, announced that Peter Anholt is the new general manager and head coach. Anholt was in transit from Prince Albert yesterday, so wasn't in attendance at the news conference.
Anholt joined the Lethbridge organization as assistant general manager in June. Prior to that, he had been the general manager of the Waskesiu Golf Club, which is located in Prince Albert National Park. He also was doing some scouting for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Anholt has ample WHL coaching experience, having worked as the head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, Seattle, Red Deer Rebels and Kelowna Rockets. His 450 coaching victories have him 10th on the WHL's all-time list, while he is sixth in games coached (973).
Anholt last coached in the WHL in 2006-07 when he was the head coach of the Raiders after which he was replaced by Bruno Campese, who now is Prince Albert’s general manager.
Anholt doesn’t have any experience as a WHL general manager.
When Anholt’s promotion was discussed at Wednesday’s news conference in Lethbridge, the word 'interim' wasn't mentioned.
"Pete's our guy for now," Paisley told reporters, adding that the Hurricanes would "bump up" Anholt's salary.
Assistant coaches Bryan Maxwell and Mike Craig ran the bench last night as the Hurricanes dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to the visiting Kelowna Rockets.
It would appear that promoting Anholt was the board’s only move, especially from a financial standpoint. In recent times, the Hurricanes have chosen to fire Preston and assistant coach Brad Lukowich, both of whom had time remaining on contracts. The Lukowich situation resulted in his filing a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the Hurricanes. It was settled out of court.
And now the organization is on the financial hook with Robson and Berehowsky.
Making the move it made with Anholt, then, was the prudent thing to do.
The Hurricanes, who have one victory in their last 15 games, aren’t going to make the playoffs this season. In the last couple of months, they have changed board presidents and brought in six new directors. Now they have a new general manager and head coach.
You have to wonder, though, if the winds of change will continue to blow in Hurricane country.
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The Prince Albert Raiders and Kelowna Rockets tied a bow on a blockbuster late Wednesday night.
The Rockets acquired D Josh Morrissey, 19, and F Gage Quinney, 19, from the Rockets in exchange for D Jesse Lees, 19, F Austin Glover, 18, and two bantam draft picks -- a second-rounder in 2016 and a third in 2017.
Morrissey, the sixth overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is the best player in this exchange. A first-round selection by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2013 draft, he finished last season with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps, earning nine points in 20 playoff games.
In 228 regular-season games, Morrissey had 179 points, including 60 goals. This season, the Calgarian has 21 points, seven of them goals, in 26 games. He heads for Toronto today for the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp and could very well be the team’s captain.
In Kelowna, Morrissey will join his 17-year-old brother, Jake, who is one of three goaltenders on the Rockets’ roster.

I asked Raiders GM Bruno Campese on Monday if he was considering trading Morrissey. He said no
— Jeff D'Andrea (@jeff_dandrea) December 11, 2014

Quinney, from Las Vegas, has 15 points, including six goals, in 32 games with the Raiders this season. In 91 career games, he has 31 points, 14 of them goals.
Lees, from Calgary, was the ninth overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft. He was in his fourth season in Kelowna, having earned 78 points, including 25 goals, in 180 games. Of late, he had seen considerable playing time up front as the Rockets went through a stretch where a number of forwards were injured.
This season, Lees has 20 points, six of them goals, in 28 games.
Glover, from Clavet, Sask., was a second-round selection by the Rockets in the 2011 bantam draft. In 73 career games, he has 28 points, nine of them goals. This season, he has 16 points, including six goals, in 18 games this season. Glover returned to the Rockets’ lineup last night in Lethbridge after being out since early November with an undisclosed injury.
You can bet that Rockets head coach Dan Lambert, a run-and-gunner in his playing days, is salivating at the thought of having Morrissey and Madison Bowey keying their transition game.
Yes, the WHL’s top team to this point just got a whole lot better.
Lees and two assists and Glover was pointless as the Rockets (25-4-3) beat Lethbridge 4-3 in a shootout last night. Kelowna is atop the 10-team Western Conference with a 13-point lead over the Everett Silvertips, who hold three games in hand.
Morrissey and Quinney were pointless last night as the Raiders (15-17-0) dropped a 3-0 decision to the Giants in Vancouver. Prince Albert has been blanked in three straight games. The Raiders are tied with the Kootenay Ice for ninth in the 12-team Eastern Conference.

Morrissey for Lees+Glover+2nd'16+ 3rd'17. Winterhawks were frozen out since they didn't have any 1st rd WHL picks to deal …wait…what…wtf?
— Fake Mike Johnston (@FakeMikeJ) December 11, 2014

D Sam Ruopp of the Prince George Cougars has been suspended for two games after taking a kneeing major and game misconduct in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday night. Saskatoon F Nick Zajac needed help getting to the dressing room after the hit, but he later returned to the game. . . . Ruopp will miss Friday's game in Everett against the Silvertips and Saturday's game in Spokane with the Chiefs. . . .
The junior B Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League will be host team for the 2015 PJHL Top Prospects Game. It is to be played at Port Moody Arena on Jan. 26. Rosters for the game will be announced in early January. They comprise the league’s top first-year players, with at last one player from each team selected. . . . According to a news release: “Of the 40 players who participated in last year's edition of the PJHL Prospects Game, half of them have moved on to play at least one game at the junior A, Western Hockey League, or collegiate level this season, including Port Moody's Jordan Wharrie, who is a regular on the blueline of the Everett Silvertips. . . . The Tom Shaw Conference won last season's contest 4-1, with Richmond's John Wesley scoring twice in the victory. Wesley is now the third-leading scorer on the BCHL's Surrey Eagles and was also called up to play one game with the Vancouver Giants.”
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Swift Current, F Jake DeBrusk scored three times and added two assists to lead the Broncos to a 6-4 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . DeBrusk completed his hat trick into an empty net at 19:59 of the third period. He's got 16 goals in 34 games. Last season, as a freshman, he finished with 15 goals in 72 games. . . . The Broncos erased a 2-0 first-period deficit with four second-period goals. They took a 5-2 lead just 58 seconds into the third period on D Brycen Martin's second goal of the season. . . . The Broncos improved to 16-13-4. . . . The Pats (18-11-1) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Tanner Eberle scored the only goal of a four-round shootout as the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 5-4. . . . F Nolan Patrick scored twice and added an assist for the Wheat Kings, giving him 12 goals in his freshman season and eight goals in his last nine games. His second goal, at 15:30 of the third period, tied the score at 4. . . . F Jack Rodewald scored his 18th goal and added two assists for the Warriors, while F Tanner Eberle scored twice, giving him 17. . . . Brandon led 3-1 after the first period, with the Warriors equalizing on Rodewald's PP goal at 11:29 of the second. . . . Eberle gave the host team the lead at 5:54 of the third. . . . G Alex Moodie made his first start for the Wheat Kings since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 26. He made 27 stops, one more than Moose Jaw's Zach Sawchenko. . . . The Warriors dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. They lost F Tanner Jeannot in the second period after he took a hit from Brandon D Macoy Erkamps, who was penalized for charging. . . . The Warriors improved to 14-14-3. . . . Brandon is 22-7-3 and tied with the Medicine Hat Tigers for top spot in the Eastern Conference. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a game story right here. . . .

In Edmonton, D Ben Carroll broke a 1-1 tie at 17:08 of the second period and the Oil Kings went on to a 4-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Carroll, who scored the goal via the PP, has four goals. . . . The Blazers were playing their first game of a six-game road trip. They'll play six games in eight nights. . . . Edmonton D Ashton Sautner had his point streak snapped at 12 games. He now shares the franchise record with F Michael St. Croix and F Dylan Wruck. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff was back in the lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Oil Kings (15-12-5) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Blazers (12-16-5) have lost three straight. . . . The Blazers meet the Rebels in Red Deer in tonight’s lone game. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Nick Merkley's shootout goal gave the Kelowna Rockets a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Jamal Watson gave the home side a 1-0 shootout lead, but Kelowna F Justin Kirkland tied it in the third round and Merkley won it in the fourth. . . . The Hurricanes erased a 3-1 deficit with two third-period goals. F Taylor Cooper got his ninth at 14:27 and D Nick Walters scored his first, on the PP, at 18:35. . . . F Dillon Dube, playing his fifth game since returning from an undisclosed injury, scored twice for the Rockets. Dube has four goals in seven games this season. In fact, he has four goals in his last five games. . . . Kelowna F Rodney Southam broke a 1-1 tie with his fourth goal just 10 seconds into the third period. . . . This was the Hurricanes' first game since the firing of general manager Brad Robson and head coach Drake Berehowsky. Assistant coaches Mike Craig and Bryan Maxwell ran the bench in this one, even though the online scoresheet listed Berehowsky as the head coach. . . . Kelowna had F Austin Glover and D Dalton Yorke back in the lineup. Both had been out since early November. . . . The Rockets (25-4-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Hurricanes (6-19-5) have lost five straight. . . .

In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 29 shots to lead the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Lee has two shutouts this season and four in his career. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houck got the game’s first goal, his 12th, at 10:31 of the second period. . . . Houck, who has five goals over his last four games, left late in the third period while favouring one leg. After the game, head coach Claude Noel said that Houck is day-to-day. . . . F Matt Bellerive had two assists for Vancouver. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride stopped 35 shots. . . . The Giants (13-18-0) have won four in a row and now are three points behind the ninth-place Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference. Vancouver is 3-0-0 under Noel. . . . The Raiders (15-17-0) have lost three in a row.
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Canes President Doug Paisley confirms Robson out as GM. Peter Anholt new GM & Head Coach going forward. pic.twitter.com/YDRWuIEBo1
— Pat Siedlecki (@radiopat258) December 10, 2014

Royals, Hitmen make deal . . . Davis learns a lesson . . . Bow has answers for Broncos

F Radek Meidl (Seattle, Tri-City, 2006-08) has been released by Polonia Bytom (Poland Ekstraliga) by mutual agreement. In nine games, he had four goals and three assists. According to Polish reports, Meidl has an offer from a club in the Czech Republic Extraliga.
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Immediately following the completion of Wednesday’s games, the Victoria Royals and Calgary Hitmen announced that they had swapped two players and three draft picks.
The Royals get F Greg Chase, 19, a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and an eighth-round selection in 2016 for D Keegan Kanzig, 19, and a second-round pick in 2016.
It became evident that a trade was imminent when the Royals made Kanzig a healthy scratch before taking the ice against the visiting Kelowna Rockets last night.
Chase, from Sherwood Park, Alta., was a first-round pick, 22nd overall, in the 2010 bantam draft.
This season, before leaving the Hitmen and asking to be traded, Chase had two goals and 13 assists in 15 games. Last season, he totalled 85 points, including 35 goals, in 70 games. In 219 career regular-season games, Chase has 177 points, including 60 goals.
A seventh-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2013 NHL draft, Chase signed a three-year entry-level contract in September.
After leaving the Hitmen, Chase played for the WHL that met a touring Russian side in the two-game Subway Super Series. Chase played well in those games; Dave Lowry, the Royals’ head coach, was the WHL’s head coach in the two games.
Chase is expected to be in Victoria’s lineup against the visiting Everett Silvertips on Friday night.
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Kanzig, from Athabasca, Alta., is in his fourth WHL season. In 217 regular-season games, he has 23 points, including three goals. Kanzig was the seventh overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft. The Calgary Flames, who own the Hitmen, selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2013 draft. He signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract in December.
“Keegan is a stay-at-home defenceman who will immediately make us a stronger team,” Hitmen general manager Mike Moore said in a news release. “We have a young blueline that will benefit from his experience, leadership and on-ice presence.”
The Hitmen next play on Friday against the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors. Kanzig is expected to be in Calgary’s lineup.
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On Tuesday evening, D Kevin Davis of the Everett Silvertips tweeted: “Wear your mouth guards.”
That’s it. Four words. Simple.
On Wednesday afternoon, Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald posted an explanation:
“Davis was wearing a full bubble on his helmet during Wednesday's practice at the Comcast Community Rink. That's because during practice Tuesday he took a puck to the mouth on a deflected pass, and now his smile is a little different for the time being -- he was looking pretty gnarly in the aftermath. Davis ended up losing two teeth, and he could end up losing two more.”
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Russ Farwell, the general manager of the Seattle Thunderbirds, has told Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province that F Mathew Barzal could rejoin his team early in January.
Barzal had surgery on Nov. 13 after suffering a fractured kneecap.
Farwell told Ewen via email that Barzal “has a recovery process to go through and is scheduled to be back with the team in early January.”
Asked how Barzal was injured, Farwell replied: “Prior to a practice in Saskatoon on our East Division road trip, Matt was roughhousing with some of his teammates in the locker room and tripped over a stick.”
Barzal, who put up 54 points in 59 games as a freshman last season, has 18 points in 16 games this season. He is expected to be an early selection in the NHL’s 2015 draft.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers remain without D Connor Hobbs, 17, who left the team Oct. 29 and asked for a trade. He has since been added to the roster of the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks. . . .
D Jordan Thomson, who has been sidelined with a concussion, has left the Saskatoon Blades and returned home to Wawanesa, Man., to deal with some personal business. He is expected back with the Blades sometime next week.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Swift Current, G Landon Bow stopped 25 shots to help the Broncos to a 5-0 blanking of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Bow has a WHL-leading five shutouts in 22 appearances this season. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon had a goal, his 12th, and an assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games, best in the WHL this season. He also finished plus-4. . . . F Calvin Leth’s first goal of the season, and fourth in 73 career games, stood up as the winner. . . . Brandon was 0-for-5 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-2. . . . The Broncos (13-8-4) have points in five straight (3-0-2) and closed to within five points of the East Division-leading Wheat Kings (17-5-1). . . . Brandon continues to play without D Kale Clague, who returned from the U-17 World Hockey Challenge with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Broncos meet the Raiders in Prince Albert on Friday, while the Wheat Kings return home to face the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . .

At Moose Jaw, F Brett Pollock scored the game’s last two goals to give the Edmonton Oil Kings a 3-2 victory in OT over the Warriors. . . . Pollock tied the game at 18:21 of the third period and won it at 4:14 of OT. He’s got nine goals this season. . . . F Brayden Point scored both Moose Jaw goals, his 13th of the season, on the PP, giving it a 2-1 lead at 4:23 of the third. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 30 shots, five fewer than Moose Jaw’s Justin Paulic. . . . The Oil Kings (12-8-3) have points in four straight (3-0-1) as they head for Brandon and a weekend doubleheader. . . . The Warriors (9-10-3), who meet the Hitmen in Calgary on Friday, had won their previous two games. . . .

At Cranbrook, F Trevor Cox scored three times and added an assist to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 7-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end. . . . The Tigers (16-4-2) took a 5-0 lead into the third period. . . . Cox, who has five goals, scored in the first and last minutes of the second period and completed his first WHL hat trick at 15:26 of the third. . . . Tigers D Tommy Vannelli scored his ninth goal and added two assists. . . . The Ice got a goal and two assists from each of F Tim Bozon and F Sam Reinhart. . . . Reinhart tied F Jarret Stoll’s franchise record for career assists, with 162. . . . The Tigers have points in their last three games (2-0-1). . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . . The Tigers visit the Red Deer Rebels on Friday, while the Ice is at home to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . .

At Kamloops, the Blazers ended a seven-game losing skid with a 4-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Blazers (10-10-4), who were 0-4-3 on that slide, got 41 saves from G Connor Ingram. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully scored his 10th goal and added an assist, while F Colin Shirley had two assists. . . . The Blazers were missing F Matthew Campese, who was acquired Tuesday from the Victoria Royals, and veteran D Brady Gaudet. According to Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Blazers, Gaudet has a shoulder injury and will be out indefinitely. . . . The Winterhawks (9-12-3) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . Trailing 2-0 early in the second period, the Winterhawks had two 3-on-1 breaks and a 2-on-1 and came up empty each time. . . . The Winterhawks will meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday and Saturday, while the Blazers entertain the Prince George Cougars on Friday. . . .

At Prince George, F Chase Witala and F Cal Babych each scored twice as the Cougars dumped the Vancouver Giants, 6-1. . . . Vancouver had won 6-4 on Tuesday night. . . . Babych broke a 1-1 tie at 16:03 of the first period and made it 3-1 at 14:17 of the second. He’s got three goals. He went into the game with a goal and an assist in 12 games. . . . Witala has 13 goals this season. . . . F Haydn Hopkins helped the Cougars’ cause with three assists. . . . F Zach Pochiro, who was returned to the Cougars by the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, had one assist. With him in the lineup, the Cougars scratched G Jared Rathjen to stay at the mandate three 20-year-olds. The other two are F Jari Erricson and F Chance Braid. The latter had a goal, his sixth, and an assist. . . . The Cougars (12-12-0), who visit Kamloops on Friday, had lost their previous four games. . . . The Giants slipped to 9-13-0. They are at home to the Regina Pats on Friday. The Pats arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday, while the Giants were playing in Prince George. . . .

At Victoria, D Jesse Lees scored twice and added an assist to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Royals. . . . The Rockets led 3-0 when Lees scored his second goal, and fifth of the season, at 10:14 of the first period. . . . D Joe Hicketts, who scored his sixth goal and added two assists, cut the Royals’ deficit to 4-3 at 18:17 of the third period, but Kelowna F Nick Merkley scored an empty-netter at 19:44. . . . Rockets F Rourke Chartier scored his WHL-leading 24th goal. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer, whose rights belong to the Royals when this season began, stopped 30 shots. . . . The Royals (12-11-2) had won their previous two games. . . . The Rockets (21-1-2) are 11-0-2 over their last 13 outings. . . . The game ended with something of a melee that could result in fines and/or suspensions. As well, Victoria F Brandon Magee picked up a spearing major and game misconduct. Magee missed the start of this season as he waited out a 12-game suspension left over from a playoff series with the Portland Winterhawks last spring. . . . The Royals are at home to the Everett Silvertips on Friday. . . . The Rockets, who went 4-0-1 on a five-game road trip, will meet visiting Portland on Friday and Saturday nights.
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Kevin Constantine fined $500 for getting the boot in PDX. The WHL is going to have a great holiday party funded by US Div coaches!
— Andy Eide (@AndyEide) November 19, 2014

Oil Kings, Rockets draw first blood

D Michal Plutnar (Tri-City, 2011-14) has signed three-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had 12 points, three of them goals, in 51 games with the Americans.
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If the WHL’s Western Conference final between the Kelowna Rockets and Portland Winterhawks needs a Game 6, it will be played in the Rose City on Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m. Originally, the game had been scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. . . . The time change should make things easier on fans as an NBA playoff game between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers is to start at 6:30 p.m., at the Moda Center. . . . The hockey game would be played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
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The finalists for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's player of the year are F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs and F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, as voted on by, according to the WHL, “general managers, coaches, broadcast and media representatives of all WHL member clubs.”
Reinhart, 18, who represents the Eastern Conference, had 105 points, including 36 goals.
Holmberg, 20, represents the Western Conference. He won the WHL scoring title with 118 points, including a WHL-leading 62 goals.
The WHL’s awards luncheon is scheduled for April 30 in Calgary.
The WHL, for whatever reason, chose to release this news on Good Friday, the same day that both of its conference finals began.
Everyone knows that governments release bad news on Friday afternoons. The WHL chooses to release good news on the afternoon of a holiday Friday. Why not hold on to the release until Monday and do it when both of its conference finals are enjoying a day of rest?
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THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. MEDICINE HAT (4)
(Edmonton leads, 1-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 5-0-1; Medicine Hat, 1-5-0.
(All games on Shaw TV)
Friday: Medicine Hat 3 at Edmonton 8 (7,694)
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday, April 26: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday, April 28: Edmonton at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Medicine Hat at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, day-to-day; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
(Kelowna leads, 1-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-0-0; Portland, 0-4-0.
Friday: Portland 4 at Kelowna 5 (6,218)
Saturday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
Wednesday: Kelowna at Portland (Moda Center), 7 p.m.
x-Friday: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
x-Sunday, April 27: Kelowna at Portland, 2 p.m.
x-Tuesday, April 29: Portland at Kelowna, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Portland: None.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored twice in the game’s first 66 seconds and went on to an 8-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final is scheduled for Sunday in Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings F Curtis Lazar scored his fourth goal of these playoffs just 32 seconds into the game and D Cody Corbett, with his fifth, made it 2-0 at 1:06. . . . The first two goals came with the teams playing 4-on-4. . . . Edmonton built a 7-0 lead before the game was half over. . . . Corbett scored twice, while teammates F Henrik Samuelsson, F Reid Petryk, F Mads Eller and F Edgars Kulda each had two assists. . . . According to a tweet by Edmonton radio voice Corey Graham, Lazar has 22 career playoff goals, the “most in modern Oil Kings history.” . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk scored twice, giving him a playoff-leading 12 goals. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots. . . . The Tigers started Marek Langhamer, switched to Nick Schneider and later brought Langhamer back. Langhamer gave up five goals on 22 shots; Schneider was beaten three times on eight shots. . . . The Tigers were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 0-for-2. . . .


In Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 3-0 first-period deficit and went on to beat the Portland Winterhawks, 5-4. . . . Game 2 in the Western Conference final is to be played tonight in Kelowna. . . . After the Rockets cut the deficit to 3-2, the Winterhawks were a split second away from a 4-2 lead as F Oliver Bjorkstrand was that close to his third goal as the first period ended. Replay showed that time expired with the front edge of the puck just starting to cross the top of the goal line. . . . Portland D Keoni Texeira gave his side a 4-2 lead at 15:43 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier, perhaps the best forward on the ice, cut that to 4-3 at 16:26 of the second period. . . . Kelowna F Justin Kirkland tied it at 4:17 of the third, via the PP, and D Jesse Lees gave the home side its first lead with his first goal at 5:59. . . . The Rockets outshot the visitors 14-4 and outscored them 2-0 in the third. . . . Bjorkstrand scored 33 seconds into the game and added his 11th of the playoffs, on the PP, at 5:49. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo made it 3-0 on another PP, at 12:19. . . . The Rockets got on the board when F Tyson Baillie scored at 13:08 of the first. . . . Kelowna D Madison Bowey may have scored his side’s biggest goal when he got a shorthanded tally off a 2-on-1 break at 19:33. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 22 shots, nine fewer than Brendan Burke of Portland. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Rockets were 1-for-4. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot each had an assist as they ran point streaks to 10 games. They now share the franchise record for longest playoff point streak. . . . Pouliot’s assist was his 46th career playoff helper, breaking the franchise record that he had shared with F Ty Rattie, who is finishing up his freshman season with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves . . . . The Rockets continue to be without F Myles Bell (leg), a 42-goal man in the regular season.
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From Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks): “As we count down to Game 1, consider that Hawks and Rockets are two of just 18 teams to win 54 or more games in a season in WHL history.”


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Well done, Matthew Marotta!

The world of minor hockey is full of ugly stories, like the one that was mentioned here yesterday involving an incident during a tournament in Winnipeg.
Well, right here is a story that starts out ugly but, by the end, will bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face.
The story is told in a letter to the editor that appeared in the Prince George Citizen. The game in question was part of the 43rd annual Vernon Coca-Cola Invitational pee wee tournament.
The player who showed such courage and intelligence, who stood up to be counted and set such a fine example, is Matthew Marotta of the Prince George Viking Construction peewee Tier 1 Cougars. His parents have to be extremely proud. As of right now, Matthew is on my all-time all-star team. All leagues. All sports. All time. Period.
I also would suggest that he is Prince George’s minor hockey player of the year, if there is such an award. In fact, here’s a nomination for Matthew as Prince George’s citizen of the year.
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The Kelowna Rockets, who lead the WHL’s overall standings, put a three-game winning streak on the line tonight as they play host to the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets are without F Tyson Baillie, who has an undisclosed injury. Baillie, 18, has 55 points, including 22 goals, in 56 games. In his third season, he has a career-high 33 assists. He is four goals and one point from career highs set last season. . . . The Rockets are hoping that D Jesse Lees, who hasn’t played since Jan. 31, will return this weekend when they play a doubleheader in Prince George. Injuries have limited Lees, 18, to 37 games this season.
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The Red Deer Rebels have lost F Lukas Sutter, 20, for the remainder of this season. According to the Rebels, he is in need of reconstructive shoulder surgery. He had 23 points, 10 of them goals, in 45 games. In 265 career regular-season games, Sutter put up 126 points, including 55 goals. . . . The Winnipeg Jets selected Sutter in the second round of the NHL’s 2012 draft. He is the son of former NHLer/WHLer Rich Sutter.
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G Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels stopped 29 shots during a 7-1 loss to the Hitmen in Calgary on Sunday. That allowed Bartosak, a 19-year-old from Koprivnice, Czech Republic, to set a franchise record for most saves in a single season. He now has made 1,739 saves this season; the previous record of 1,727 was held by Shane Bendera (1999-2000).
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The Vancouver Giants are in Alberta this week, starting tonight against the Hurricanes in Lethbridge. D Dalton Thrower (ankle) has missed 11 games and won’t play tonight. However, Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Giants general manager Scott Bonner expects Thrower, the team captain, to return before the end of the regular season. . . . The Giants have added D Matt Barberis, a first-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, to their roster. Barberis, from Surrey, plays for the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League. He turned 16 on Jan. 19.
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D Colton Waltz of the Brandon Wheat Kings drew a TBD suspension under supplemental discipline for an unpenalized hit on F Dryden Hunt in the first period of Monday’s 4-0 loss to the Pats in Regina. Hunt left the game in the first period and didn’t return. Hunt, who has a history of brain injuries, is shown on the WHL injury report as being out indefinitely with an “upper body“ injury. . . . F Carter Amson of the Lethbridge also drew a TBD suspension after taking a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in a 12-0 loss to the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Monday. . . . Meanwhile, D Macoy Erkamps of the Hurricanes got a one-game sentence for a kneeing major and game misconduct he incurred during Saturday’s 8-1 loss to the visiting Calgary Hitmen. He served that suspension on the weekend. . . . F Jessey Astles of the Tri-City Americans got hit with a seven-game sentence for a headshot major and game misconduct he took during Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the host Spokane Chiefs. In its reasons for discipline, the WHL stated: “The player targeted the opponent’s head . . . The player jumped to make the hit . . . The player is a repeat offender . . . The opponent was not injured on the play.” . . . Astles’ suspension equals the longest handed down by the WHL office this season. On Dec. 17, Portland Winterhawks F Brendan Leipsic got a seven-game suspension after taking a match penalty during a Dec. 14 game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds.
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The CHL and Sportsnet have signed a 12-year “partnership extension” that runs through 2025-26 and covers CHL regular-season and playoff games, as well as the MasterCard Memorial Cup “in Canada.”
The exact phrasing is that Sportsnet continues “its tradition as the exclusive broadcaster of the CHL and MasterCard Memorial Cup in Canada.”
Does that mean that is the exclusive broadcaster of those events when they are held in Canada? Or does it mean that it is the exclusive Canadian broadcaster?
More from the news release:
“The new agreement, which begins with the 2014-15 season, features a comprehensive suite of multimedia rights including television, online and mobile, delivering more than 50 CHL games each year, including CHL playoff games and the Memorial Cup.”
Don’t forget that Sportsnet also begins a 12-year deal with the NHL next season, and also is the regional broadcaster of the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks.
The total of 50 games includes playoff and Memorial Cup games. It may also include Subway Super Series games and the Top Prospects game.
As Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix tweeted on Tuesday afternoon: “CHL and Sportsnet announce 12-yr extension, beginning 2014-15 . . . With all the NHL games, hope CHL doesn't get buried.”
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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.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Winterhawks ran their franchise-record winning streak to 17 games as they beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-1. . . . Prince George F Todd Fiddler got the game’s first goal, at 6:49 of the first period, via the PP, but the visitors never scored again. That was Fiddler’s 40th goal this season. . . . Portland got a goal, his 41st, and two assists from F Oliver Bjorkstrand. He tied the game on a PP at 19:49 of the first. . . . D Derrick Pouliot, who scored twice, gave the Winter hawks a 2-1 lead at 19:56 of the second, also on a PP. He’s got 17 goals. . . . Portland F Nic Petan had two assists. He has at least one assist in 13 straight games, the longest such streak in the WHL this season. . . . Petan leads the WHL in points (102), two more than F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Bjorkstrand is third, with 91 points. . . . Portland F Dominic Turgeon picked up an assist, giving him a seven-game point streak. He’s got 12 points in those seven games. . . . With G Brendan Burke (ill) still out, Corbin Boes started again for Portland and came up with 30 saves. . . . Portland was 3-for-7 on the PP; Prince George was 1-for-6. . . . It’s worth noting that Portland F Adam De Champlain is shown on the WHL injury report as being out four to six weeks, after having been listed as day-to-day. . . . Portland will go for 18 in a row on Friday when it plays host to the Kamloops Blazers. . . .
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “70x2 - @pdxwinterhawks Nic Petan has become the first WHLer to have back-to-back 70-assist seasons since Todd Robinson in 1996-97 & 1997-98.”

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1. Someone out there isn't at all upset that the WHL has chosen not to print its once-annual Guide this season:
"A paragraph on the WHL not printing a media guide? It's called the internet Gregg. There's more to than your blog. All the info that used to be in the guide can be found online.
"A paragraph about kids playing hockey year 'round?
"Stop whining. I come here to get informed and end up feeling sorry for you. You've made your living covering hockey, but clearly hate the sport.
"What does that say about you?"
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And then there is this tweet from @schm0869: "First, glad your wife is doing well! Second, I remember begging my dad to spend $8 on the 85-86 WHL Guide, it's a shame."

2. When F Ryan Gropp revealed earlier this week that he was leaving the BCHL's Penticton Vees to join the Seattle Thunderbirds, he told Mark Hunter of the Kamloops Daily News that his insertion in the lineup would be delayed until paperwork related to his visa was completed.
The Thunderbirds are saying that wasn't the case at all.
An email from Ian Henry, the Thunderbirds' director of public and media relations, included what he said has become the response from general manager Russ Farwell: "Not true. He was on our petition originally and is not playing due to his injury."
It turns out that Gropp has a groin injury and will play once it is healed, perhaps as early as this weekend.

3. If you were watching The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday, you may have noticed that Chris Zasche, the bass guitarist from the Seattle-based group The Head and the Heart, was wearing a Seattle Thunderbirds sweater while performing. If you missed it, the peformance is right here.
The afore-mentioned Ian Henry sends word that "Tim Shaw, who does corporate sales and marketing (for the Thunderbirds), plays on a men’s league team with Chris. Chris emailed Tim that he was going to wear the jersey."
And there he was, right on Letterman. It's hard to get better exposure than that.

4. The Everett Silvertips have dealt F Mitch Skapski to the Victoria Royals for the rights to D Mark Nerland, who is playing with the AJHL's Camrose Kodiaks. Both players were born in 1996.
Skapski, 17, had gotten into just one game with the Silvertips. Last season, he played in 34 games, scoring twice. Skapski, from Abbotsford, B.C., was a fourth-round selection by the Portland Winterhawks in th 2011 bantam draft. He was acquired by Everett in the deal that had D Seth Jones move to Portland. Skapski also has two brothers with WHL connections — G Mackenzie Skapski is with the Kootenay Ice, while Marshall, a defenceman, was a third-round selection by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2013 bantam draft.
Nerland, from Okotoks, Alta., won't turn 17 until Dec. 17. He has two assists in eight games with the Kodiaks. Last season, he played with the midget AAA Strathmore UFA Bisons.

5. The Regina Pats have dropped G Spencer Tremblay, 18, from their roster, as they got down to two goaltenders. . . Tremblay, who had played 46 minutes this season, is expected to join the MJHL's Waywayseecappo Wolverines. . . . That leaves Regina with Dawson MacAuley, 18, and Mac Engel, 20, as its goaltenders.

6. The Kelowna Rockets have lost F Austin Glover, 17, for what is estimated to be between two and four months. Glover, from Clavet, Sask., suffered a broken ankle in the third period of Wednesday's 6-0 victory over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . He had three points, one of them a goal, in five games this season, after putting up four points, including one goal, in 31 games last season. . . . The Rockets also are without D Jesse Lees, who suffered a wrist injury in a 4-3 shootout loss to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds a week ago. According to Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier, Lees had a cast on one forearm on Thursday. "We're not sure how long Jesse is going to be out, but hopefully it's not that long," Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska told Fisher.

7. The NHL season is young, but the Nashville Predators sure do like what they have seen so far from D Seth Jones. Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times has more right here.

8. A tweet from Dylan Purcell of the Lethbridge Herald: "I'm gonna guess Jonny Hogue has been released by the Hurricanes, based on tweets from teammates."
Hogue, a 17-year-old goaltender gave up six goals in his only appearance with Lethbridge this season. . . . His departure would leave the Hurricanes with two goaltenders — Corbin Boes, 20, and Chris Tai, 18.

9. G Cole Bruns of the USHL's Omaha Lancers had his season-opening shutout run come to an end on Thursday night. Bruns opened with five straight shutouts. But the streak ended at 309 minutes 41 seconds last night in a 4-2 loss to the Waterloo BlackHawks.

10. F Greg Chase's shootout goal gave the host Calgary Hitmen a 4-3 victory over the Saskatoon Blades last night. The Blades, who tied the game with two third-period goals, still have points in seven straight games.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Ty Morris (Swift Current, Vancouver, Red Deer, 2003-05) signed a try-out contract through Oct. 31 with Munich (Germany, DEL), one day after he was released from a try-out with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had one goal in two games during his trial with Ravensburg. Last season, Morris had five goals and 24 assists in 31 games with the Bietigheim Steelers (Germany, 2.Bundesliga).
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JUST NOTES:
NHL linesman Vaughan Rody is the Prince George Cougars’ new power-skating coach. Rody operates Pro Edge Skating, is a triathlete and also a personal training. He is a former WHL linesman who has been in the NHL since 2000-01. . . .
D Martin Gernat, 19, of the Edmonton Oil Kings had shoulder surgery in Europe on Wednesday and won’t rejoin his teammates until late next month. Gernat put up 55 points for the Oil Kings last season. Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal has more right here. . . .
D William Wrenn, who captained the Portland Winterhawks last season, has signed with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. He is a native of Anchorage. . . . Wrenn was a second-round selection by the San Jose Sharks in the NHL’s 2009 draft and is in camp with their AHL affiliate, the Worcester Sharks. Should he not play for the AHL Sharks, he will join the Aces. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets will be without F J.T. Barnett (knee) for up to a month. He was injured on his first shift of a season-opening 6-5 OT loss to the Blazers in Kamloops. An MRI showed that has a sprain. . . . The Rockets also are without D Mitchell Chapman (ankle). He has yet to play this season and likely won’t until late next month. . . . Barnett and Chapman are two of the Rockets’ 20-year-olds. . . . The Rockets are in Portland for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader. Kelowna also will be without D Jesse Lees. The sophomore was a healthy scratch for the first two games but now is sidelined with the flu and didn’t make the trip south. . . . The Winterhawks will have D Seth Jones in the lineup tonight but not Saturday. After playing tonight, he will head for Buffalo and Saturday’s All-American Prospects game. . . .
It’s the WHL’s version of the Battle of Alberta tonight and it should be a good one. The Edmonton Oil Kings, who are 3-0-0, play host to the Calgary Hitmen, who are 2-0-0. Have fun!
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THURSDAY’S GAME:
The Tri-City Americans got their first victory after two losses, beating the visiting and winless Everett Silvertips, 3-1. . . . The Silvertips (0-2-1) are in Vancouver tonight where something has to give as the Giants also are winless (0-2-0). . . . Tri-City F Justin Feser scored an empty-net goal last night, giving him 250 career points.

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