Bob McKenzie, who has been around hockey for longer than he cares to remember, has weighed in on the subject of major junior hockey and concussions.
Check that out right here.
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Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail talks with Niagara IceDogs assistant coach Mike Van Ryn and Tim Speltz, the GM of the Spokane Chiefs, about concussions in major junior hockey.
That story is right here.
———
F Evan Bloodoff of the Kelowna Rockets and F Brett Lyon of the Moose Jaw Warriors each drew four-game suspensions from the WHL office on Tuesday.
Bloodoff got a charging major for a high hit that resulted in Vancouver Giants D Joel Rogers needing a stretcher to get off the ice. He later was taken to hospital. Rogers, 20, had only been back for a few games after recovering from a concussion suffered in January.
Bloodoff will miss the first four games of the Rockets’ first-round series with the Prince George Cougars. There is no timetable for Rogers’ return to the Giants, who will meet the Tri-City Americans in the first round.
Lyon was suspended under supplemental discipline for an unpenalized hit on F Jake Trask of the Saskatoon Blades. Lyon sat out the last two games of the regular season, so will be eligible to return for Game 3 of the Warriors’ first-round series against the Kootenay Ice.
———
JUST NOTES: The Prince Albert Raiders have added F T.J. Constant, 17, to their roster. Constant, who played five games with the Raiders earlier in the season, had 53 points and 41 penalty minutes in 57 games with the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard. . . . Dale Saip, the Vancouver Giants’ vice-president of business development, has won the federal Conservative’s nomination for the Delta-Richmond East riding in B.C. He also is a veteran on the Delta Board of Education. . . . The Red Deer Rebels hope to get F Josh Cowen (broken hand) back at some point during their first-round series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. He hasn’t played since Feb. 19. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Warriors may be without F Cody Beach (knee) when they open in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice on Friday. Beach missed his club’s last three games. . . . Moose Jaw D Dylan McIlrath didn’t practice Tuesday but head coach Dave Hunchak told Gourlie it was a maintenance day.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
Showing posts with label Joel Rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joel Rogers. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL). He had four goals and 15 assists in 50 games for the Freezers this season.
———
The WHL has suspended F Evan Bloodoff of the Kelowna Rockets, but the name of Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe doesn’t appear on the list of disciplined players.
Wiebe took a major penalty for boarding during an 8-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday night. But he won’t be suspended. His penalty was reviewed by the WHL office and it was decided that a suspension wasn’t warranted.
Bloodoff, meanwhile, was hit with a major penalty for a hit on Vancouver Giants D Joel Rogers on Saturday night in Kelowna. Rogers, who recently returned from a concussion, left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. Rogers is a 20-year-old and it seems doubtful that he’ll return this season.
Bloodoff is shown on the WHL website as having been suspended “tbd” -- to be determined.
Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier described Bloodoff’s hit as a “leaping, high hit.”
On Sunday, Bloodoff told Potenteau: “Whatever the league decides, I’ll be fine with. It’s out of my hands. It was a spur of the moment thing and I’m glad he’s alright.”
Bloodoff told Potenteau that he recognizes that “it’s still all on the player.”
He continued: “You have that last second to decide to hit the brakes . . . I dunno . . . it seems like there’s nothing I could have done there.”
———
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that the Vancouver Giants have some serious injury problems as they prepare to open a first-round series against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday. That story is right here.
According to Pap, the Giants have picked up three more concussions over the last few days, to D Joel Rogers, F Michael Burns and F Anthony Ast, who had been recalled from the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians.
Three more concussions means the WHL has seen at least 100 concussion/head injuries this season.
———
Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail spoke with Dave Adolph, the head coach of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey team, about the concussion problem. Adolph is the father of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph, who has been plagued by concussion woes this season. That piece is right here.
———
The Saskatoon Blades are hopeful that they’ll have their top offensive unit back together for Game 1 of their first-round series with the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
F Jake Trask, who sat out the Blades’ last two games after being hit from the blindside by Moose Jaw Warriors F Brett Lyon on March 16, just might be ready to go Saturday.
Trask, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers early in the season for a sixth-round bantam draft, pick, scored a career-high 30 goals. He has 20 goals in his last 25 games.
Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Trask will go back onto a line with Brayden Schenn and Curtis Hamilton. That allows Josh Nicholls to rejoin Marek Viedensky and Darian Dziurzynski, with Matej Stransky, Brent Benson and Chris Collins reuniting.
———
D Brenden Dillon of the Seattle Thunderbirds will finish the season with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Dillon, 20, signed a three-year NHL deal with Dallas on March 1. Dillon, Seattle’s captain, spent four season with the Thunderbirds.
———
The Regina Pats have had five players leave for the pro ranks. F Garrett Mitchell, who signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals on the weekend, joined the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Four other players signed amateur tryout deals. D Brandon Davidson will finish up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, while F Jordan Weal is with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, and F Shayne Neigum and D Art Bidlevskii have joined the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Davidson was selected by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft, while Weal went to the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of that same draft.
———
Groups in Kamloops, Ottawa and St. John’s, Nfld., have submitted official bids in hopes of playing host to the 2013 IIHF world women’s championship.
The City of City of Kamloops, Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment, and Destination St. John’s/Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador submitted bids to Hockey Canada by the deadline and will make formal presentations in Calgary on April 6.
Originally, the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association also expressed interest. The VIAHA has since withdrawn, while the OWHA joined forces with Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment.
———
Ken Campbell, a senior writer with The Hockey News, has an interesting take on the situation involving Max Domi and the apparent decision by he and his family to skip the OHL and move to the USHL in time for next season. Campbell’s piece is right here.
———
If you haven’t seen the Rimouski Oceanic’s answer to the defensive trap being played by the Montreal Juniors in a QMJHL game last week, check it out right here.
This comes courtesy of Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports and, as he mentions, this serves as some kind of a reminder that, above all else, major junior hockey teams are in the entertainment business.
———
JUST NOTES: F Mark McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, including five assists, in three games last week. . . . Deven Dubyk of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s nominee as goaltender of the week. He recorded his first two career shutouts as he blanked the Calgary Hitmen in back-to-back games. . . . D Stefan Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Elliott, who had 81 points, including 31 goals, in 71 games, led the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-62. He was the 49th overall selection in the 2009 NHL draft. Elliott turned 20 on Jan. 30. . . . According to capgeek.com, Elliott gets an AHL salary of US$67,500, with NHL salaries of $790,000, $840,000, and $900,000. His signing bonus is $270,000, payable over three years. . . .
Mike Vandekamp, a former head coach with the Prince George Cougars, has left the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm after four seasons and signed on as director of hockey operations and head coach with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. The Clippers have offered long-time head coach Bill Bestwick a position in their front office. Bestwick had a year left on his contract when he was removed by the Clippers’ new ownership group. . . . Blaine Bablitz, an assistant under Vandekamp, has taken over as GM and head coach of the Storm. . . . The BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters also have undergone a coaching change. Jim Ingram stepped down as GM and head coach on Friday, and the Smokies immediately signed assistant Bill Birks to a two-year deal as GM/head coach. . . .
The WHL holds its bantam draft lottery on Wednesday (11 a.m., Calgary time), with the six non-playoff teams taking part. This will establish the order of selection for the first six picks of the first round only. (Rounds 2 through 7 will be done by inverse order of the regular-season standings.) The most a team is allowed to advance is two spots, while the Hitmen are guaranteed at least the second pick. The Lethbridge Hurricanes are guaranteed two of the draft’s top five selections. They own Regina’s first pick, thanks to a deal that had F Carter Ashton go to the Pats last season.
———
A couple of interesting notes from Graham Kendrick, the Portland Winterhawks’ director of media and public relations. . . .
1.
2. Winterhawks fans have been coming out on droves in recent weeks, including two sellouts of 10,947 over the teamCraig Cunningham has achieved an incredibly rare feat: he’s won a division title in all five of his seasons in the WHL. He won four straight B.C. Division titles as a member of the Vancouver Giants from 2007-10, and now owns a U.S. Division title with the Winterhawks. One of his former Giants teammates, Lance Bouma, was part of five straight division winners with the Giants from 2006-10, but as a 15-year-old call-up in 2005-06 he played just five games. It’s believed that Cunningham is the first player in modern WHL history to win five straight division titles while playing the majority of his team’s games.’s final four games. The Winterhawks averaged 9,597 fans per game in March, and have averaged 8,382 fans since the start of February. Overall the Winterhawks averaged 5,594 fans per game this season, a 26 per cent increase over last season.
F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany DEL). He had four goals and 15 assists in 50 games for the Freezers this season.
———
The WHL has suspended F Evan Bloodoff of the Kelowna Rockets, but the name of Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe doesn’t appear on the list of disciplined players.
Wiebe took a major penalty for boarding during an 8-4 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday night. But he won’t be suspended. His penalty was reviewed by the WHL office and it was decided that a suspension wasn’t warranted.
Bloodoff, meanwhile, was hit with a major penalty for a hit on Vancouver Giants D Joel Rogers on Saturday night in Kelowna. Rogers, who recently returned from a concussion, left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to hospital. Rogers is a 20-year-old and it seems doubtful that he’ll return this season.
Bloodoff is shown on the WHL website as having been suspended “tbd” -- to be determined.
Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier described Bloodoff’s hit as a “leaping, high hit.”
On Sunday, Bloodoff told Potenteau: “Whatever the league decides, I’ll be fine with. It’s out of my hands. It was a spur of the moment thing and I’m glad he’s alright.”
Bloodoff told Potenteau that he recognizes that “it’s still all on the player.”
He continued: “You have that last second to decide to hit the brakes . . . I dunno . . . it seems like there’s nothing I could have done there.”
———
Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that the Vancouver Giants have some serious injury problems as they prepare to open a first-round series against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday. That story is right here.
According to Pap, the Giants have picked up three more concussions over the last few days, to D Joel Rogers, F Michael Burns and F Anthony Ast, who had been recalled from the major midget Greater Vancouver Canadians.
Three more concussions means the WHL has seen at least 100 concussion/head injuries this season.
———
Allan Maki of The Globe and Mail spoke with Dave Adolph, the head coach of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies hockey team, about the concussion problem. Adolph is the father of Kelowna Rockets F Max Adolph, who has been plagued by concussion woes this season. That piece is right here.
———
The Saskatoon Blades are hopeful that they’ll have their top offensive unit back together for Game 1 of their first-round series with the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
F Jake Trask, who sat out the Blades’ last two games after being hit from the blindside by Moose Jaw Warriors F Brett Lyon on March 16, just might be ready to go Saturday.
Trask, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers early in the season for a sixth-round bantam draft, pick, scored a career-high 30 goals. He has 20 goals in his last 25 games.
Cory Wolfe of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Trask will go back onto a line with Brayden Schenn and Curtis Hamilton. That allows Josh Nicholls to rejoin Marek Viedensky and Darian Dziurzynski, with Matej Stransky, Brent Benson and Chris Collins reuniting.
———
D Brenden Dillon of the Seattle Thunderbirds will finish the season with the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars. Dillon, 20, signed a three-year NHL deal with Dallas on March 1. Dillon, Seattle’s captain, spent four season with the Thunderbirds.
———
The Regina Pats have had five players leave for the pro ranks. F Garrett Mitchell, who signed with the NHL’s Washington Capitals on the weekend, joined the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
Four other players signed amateur tryout deals. D Brandon Davidson will finish up with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, while F Jordan Weal is with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, and F Shayne Neigum and D Art Bidlevskii have joined the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Davidson was selected by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2010 draft, while Weal went to the Los Angeles Kings in the third round of that same draft.
———
Groups in Kamloops, Ottawa and St. John’s, Nfld., have submitted official bids in hopes of playing host to the 2013 IIHF world women’s championship.
The City of City of Kamloops, Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment, and Destination St. John’s/Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador submitted bids to Hockey Canada by the deadline and will make formal presentations in Calgary on April 6.
Originally, the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association also expressed interest. The VIAHA has since withdrawn, while the OWHA joined forces with Ottawa Senators Sports and Entertainment.
———
Ken Campbell, a senior writer with The Hockey News, has an interesting take on the situation involving Max Domi and the apparent decision by he and his family to skip the OHL and move to the USHL in time for next season. Campbell’s piece is right here.
———
If you haven’t seen the Rimouski Oceanic’s answer to the defensive trap being played by the Montreal Juniors in a QMJHL game last week, check it out right here.
This comes courtesy of Neate Sager over at Yahoo! Sports and, as he mentions, this serves as some kind of a reminder that, above all else, major junior hockey teams are in the entertainment business.
———
JUST NOTES: F Mark McNeill of the Prince Albert Raiders is the WHL’s player of the week. He had seven points, including five assists, in three games last week. . . . Deven Dubyk of the Medicine Hat Tigers is the WHL’s nominee as goaltender of the week. He recorded his first two career shutouts as he blanked the Calgary Hitmen in back-to-back games. . . . D Stefan Elliott of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. Elliott, who had 81 points, including 31 goals, in 71 games, led the WHL in plus-minus, at plus-62. He was the 49th overall selection in the 2009 NHL draft. Elliott turned 20 on Jan. 30. . . . According to capgeek.com, Elliott gets an AHL salary of US$67,500, with NHL salaries of $790,000, $840,000, and $900,000. His signing bonus is $270,000, payable over three years. . . .
Mike Vandekamp, a former head coach with the Prince George Cougars, has left the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm after four seasons and signed on as director of hockey operations and head coach with the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers. The Clippers have offered long-time head coach Bill Bestwick a position in their front office. Bestwick had a year left on his contract when he was removed by the Clippers’ new ownership group. . . . Blaine Bablitz, an assistant under Vandekamp, has taken over as GM and head coach of the Storm. . . . The BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters also have undergone a coaching change. Jim Ingram stepped down as GM and head coach on Friday, and the Smokies immediately signed assistant Bill Birks to a two-year deal as GM/head coach. . . .
The WHL holds its bantam draft lottery on Wednesday (11 a.m., Calgary time), with the six non-playoff teams taking part. This will establish the order of selection for the first six picks of the first round only. (Rounds 2 through 7 will be done by inverse order of the regular-season standings.) The most a team is allowed to advance is two spots, while the Hitmen are guaranteed at least the second pick. The Lethbridge Hurricanes are guaranteed two of the draft’s top five selections. They own Regina’s first pick, thanks to a deal that had F Carter Ashton go to the Pats last season.
———
A couple of interesting notes from Graham Kendrick, the Portland Winterhawks’ director of media and public relations. . . .
1.
2. Winterhawks fans have been coming out on droves in recent weeks, including two sellouts of 10,947 over the teamCraig Cunningham has achieved an incredibly rare feat: he’s won a division title in all five of his seasons in the WHL. He won four straight B.C. Division titles as a member of the Vancouver Giants from 2007-10, and now owns a U.S. Division title with the Winterhawks. One of his former Giants teammates, Lance Bouma, was part of five straight division winners with the Giants from 2006-10, but as a 15-year-old call-up in 2005-06 he played just five games. It’s believed that Cunningham is the first player in modern WHL history to win five straight division titles while playing the majority of his team’s games.’s final four games. The Winterhawks averaged 9,597 fans per game in March, and have averaged 8,382 fans since the start of February. Overall the Winterhawks averaged 5,594 fans per game this season, a 26 per cent increase over last season.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Playing some catchup -- as opposed to ketchup or catsup -- after coasting through then end of 2010 . . . ---
SOME NOTES FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
The Portland Winterhawks got three goals from newly acquired F Craig Cunningham but were beaten 4-3 by the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart broke a 3-3 tie at 16:27 of the third period. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 10,511. . . . Cunningham was acquired Tuesday from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Portland was missing seven regulars -- F Sven Bartschi and Nino Niederreiter are withi Switzerland at the World Junior Championship; F Ryan Johansen is with Canada at the WJC; F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot are playing in the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge; and, F Riley Boychuk and F Adam Smith were serving WHL-issued suspensions. . . . The Winterhawks will have most, if not all, of those players back before they next play, which will be Jan. 8 when they again meet the visiting Thunderbirds. . . . You can bet the fans in Kennewick, Wash., went home in a non-celebratory move after the Tri-City Americans’ New Year’s Eve date with the Spokane Chiefs was called off early in the second period because of poor ice conditions in the Toyota Center. The teams were tied 1-1 at 2:35 of the second period when the game was halted. The WHL is expected to reschedule the game early next week. . . . Ch-ch-ching! The old year ended with a few bangs in Everett as the Vancouver Giants beat the Silvertips 6-1 in a game that featured 262 minutes in penalties. The visitors took 262 of those and now are the WHL’s most-penalized team. The Giants have taken 944 minutes in 39 games, with the Kamloops Blazers next at 910 in 38 games. . . . Want some positive news? Head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent open-heart surgery on Oct. 20 to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm, has last been behind the bench on Oct. 16. The Silvertips were 11-14-3 with associate coach Jay Varady and assistant Chris Hartsburg, who is Craig’s son, running things. . . . The Silvertips are at home to the Americans tonight (Jan. 1), so the WHL is likely to announce at least some disciplinary action before that game. The Giants are in Chilliwack to face the Bruins on Sunday. . . . Keep in mind that the Giants were fined $750 after the stuff hit the fan during a 9-1 loss in Kennewick on Dec. 17. . . . In Chilliwack, the Moose Jaw Warriors doubled the Bruins 4-2 with F Dylan Hood icing it with his 20th goal of the season, into an empty net, late in the third period. The road Warriors are 3-0 on this trip, including a 2-0 start to a B.C. Division tour that continues Sunday in Prince George and Tuesday in Kamloops, before wrapping up Thursday in Kelowna. . . . In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got two goals from F Dylan Wruck and 26 saves from G Jon Groenheyde in beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. Edmonton has won three straight and eight of 10 to move into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice dropped the Swift Current Broncos 5-3 in front of 2,822 fans, the second crowd in a row about 2,800 in the RecPlex. F Max Reinhart had a goal and two assists for the Ice. The Broncos, who have lost five straight on the road, were outshot 48-14, including 17-1 in the third period. Swift Current is 3-6-1 since last playing at home on Dec. 3. The Broncos finish up the 11-game run of road games tonight in Lethbridge before turning home to face Saskatoon on Sunday.
---
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Moose Jaw F Cody Beach
Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg
Kootenay D Joey Leach
---
The NHL’s Ottawa Senators have recalled C Jim O’Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. O’Brien was the 29th overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. This is his first stint in the NHL. He had 25 points in 33 games in Binghamton this season. Last season, as a freshman pro, he had 17 points in 76 games. . . . F Tristan King (Portland, Medicine Hat, 2006-10) has moved from the AHL’s Texas Stars to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who are coached by former Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter. King, 20, played in six games with Idaho early in the season. He had four points with Idaho and four in 11 games with Texas.
---
F Derek Hulak (Regina, Saskatoon, 2005-10) returned to Saskatoon and joined the U of Saskatchewan Huskies on Dec. 29. Hulak is a former Saskatoon Blades captain who graduated from the WHL after last season. Hulak, now 21, had been with the Central league’s Tulsa Oilers with whom he had 14 points in 21 games. . . . He is eligible to play for the Huskies immediately. By returning from the pro ranks prior to Jan. 1, he protected his CIS eligibility.
---
The Swift Current Broncos and Vancouver Giants swapped defencemen on Dec. 30. The Broncos got Dalton Reum, 18, while Joel Rogers, 19, went to the Giants. . . . The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Reum, from Camrose, Alta., had six assists in 37 games with the Giants. This is his first WHL season. . . . Rogers, from Abbotsford, B.C., was in his fourth season with the Broncos. This season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had three assists in 28 games.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
SOME NOTES FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
The Portland Winterhawks got three goals from newly acquired F Craig Cunningham but were beaten 4-3 by the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle F Luke Lockhart broke a 3-3 tie at 16:27 of the third period. . . . Attendance in the Rose Garden was 10,511. . . . Cunningham was acquired Tuesday from the Vancouver Giants. . . . Portland was missing seven regulars -- F Sven Bartschi and Nino Niederreiter are withi Switzerland at the World Junior Championship; F Ryan Johansen is with Canada at the WJC; F Brendan Leipsic and D Derrick Pouliot are playing in the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge; and, F Riley Boychuk and F Adam Smith were serving WHL-issued suspensions. . . . The Winterhawks will have most, if not all, of those players back before they next play, which will be Jan. 8 when they again meet the visiting Thunderbirds. . . . You can bet the fans in Kennewick, Wash., went home in a non-celebratory move after the Tri-City Americans’ New Year’s Eve date with the Spokane Chiefs was called off early in the second period because of poor ice conditions in the Toyota Center. The teams were tied 1-1 at 2:35 of the second period when the game was halted. The WHL is expected to reschedule the game early next week. . . . Ch-ch-ching! The old year ended with a few bangs in Everett as the Vancouver Giants beat the Silvertips 6-1 in a game that featured 262 minutes in penalties. The visitors took 262 of those and now are the WHL’s most-penalized team. The Giants have taken 944 minutes in 39 games, with the Kamloops Blazers next at 910 in 38 games. . . . Want some positive news? Head coach Craig Hartsburg, who underwent open-heart surgery on Oct. 20 to repair an ascending aortic aneurysm, has last been behind the bench on Oct. 16. The Silvertips were 11-14-3 with associate coach Jay Varady and assistant Chris Hartsburg, who is Craig’s son, running things. . . . The Silvertips are at home to the Americans tonight (Jan. 1), so the WHL is likely to announce at least some disciplinary action before that game. The Giants are in Chilliwack to face the Bruins on Sunday. . . . Keep in mind that the Giants were fined $750 after the stuff hit the fan during a 9-1 loss in Kennewick on Dec. 17. . . . In Chilliwack, the Moose Jaw Warriors doubled the Bruins 4-2 with F Dylan Hood icing it with his 20th goal of the season, into an empty net, late in the third period. The road Warriors are 3-0 on this trip, including a 2-0 start to a B.C. Division tour that continues Sunday in Prince George and Tuesday in Kamloops, before wrapping up Thursday in Kelowna. . . . In Edmonton, the Oil Kings got two goals from F Dylan Wruck and 26 saves from G Jon Groenheyde in beating the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-2. Edmonton has won three straight and eight of 10 to move into sixth place in the Eastern Conference. . . . In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice dropped the Swift Current Broncos 5-3 in front of 2,822 fans, the second crowd in a row about 2,800 in the RecPlex. F Max Reinhart had a goal and two assists for the Ice. The Broncos, who have lost five straight on the road, were outshot 48-14, including 17-1 in the third period. Swift Current is 3-6-1 since last playing at home on Dec. 3. The Broncos finish up the 11-game run of road games tonight in Lethbridge before turning home to face Saskatoon on Sunday.
---
FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Moose Jaw F Cody Beach
Chilliwack F T.C. Cratsenberg
Kootenay D Joey Leach
---
The NHL’s Ottawa Senators have recalled C Jim O’Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. O’Brien was the 29th overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft. This is his first stint in the NHL. He had 25 points in 33 games in Binghamton this season. Last season, as a freshman pro, he had 17 points in 76 games. . . . F Tristan King (Portland, Medicine Hat, 2006-10) has moved from the AHL’s Texas Stars to the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, who are coached by former Spokane head coach Hardy Sauter. King, 20, played in six games with Idaho early in the season. He had four points with Idaho and four in 11 games with Texas.
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F Derek Hulak (Regina, Saskatoon, 2005-10) returned to Saskatoon and joined the U of Saskatchewan Huskies on Dec. 29. Hulak is a former Saskatoon Blades captain who graduated from the WHL after last season. Hulak, now 21, had been with the Central league’s Tulsa Oilers with whom he had 14 points in 21 games. . . . He is eligible to play for the Huskies immediately. By returning from the pro ranks prior to Jan. 1, he protected his CIS eligibility.
---
The Swift Current Broncos and Vancouver Giants swapped defencemen on Dec. 30. The Broncos got Dalton Reum, 18, while Joel Rogers, 19, went to the Giants. . . . The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Reum, from Camrose, Alta., had six assists in 37 games with the Giants. This is his first WHL season. . . . Rogers, from Abbotsford, B.C., was in his fourth season with the Broncos. This season, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder had three assists in 28 games.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter
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