THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Brent Henley (Saskatoon, Swift Current, Prince George, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with the Nottingham Panthers (England, UK Elite). He had three goals and 12 assists in 59 games with the Fort Wayne Komets and Florida Everblades (both ECHL) and had no points in five games on loan to the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) last season.
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The WHL is poised to reveal its exhibition schedule today and then to unveil its regular-season schedule on Wednesday.
The exhibition schedule will open Aug. 27 with the Moose Jaw Warriors visiting the Broncos in Swift Current for a rookies game.
The Everett Silvertips tournament, which also is to include the Seattle Thunderbirds, Tri-City Americans, Spokane Chiefs, Portland Winterhawks and Victoria Royals, is scheduled to run from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1.
The Edmonton Oil Kings tournament is to be held Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, with the Red Deer Rebels, Prince George Cougars, Medicine Hat Tigers, Calgary Hitmen and Swift Current also in attendance.
The following weekend, Sept. 5-8, Portland, Spokane, Seattle, Everett and the Kootenay Ice will join the host Tri-City Americans at their annual tournament in Kennewick, Wash.
As well, Kootenay, Calgary and the Lethbridge Hurricanes will play three games in Crowsnest Pass, Alta., Sept. 13-15.
Calgary and Lethbridge are to play a game in Taber, Alta., on Sept. 5. Also taking their shows on the road will be Edmonton and Red Deer (Lacombe, Sept. 13), Medicine Hat and Red Deer (Stettler, Sept. 14), and Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades (Warman, Sept. 14).
The final exhibition games are scheduled for Sept. 15.
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Some notes on the regular-season schedule:
It is scheduled to begin on Sept. 19 with Swift Current visiting the Regina Pats, whose head coach, Malcolm Cameron, will be making his debut.
There will be eight games the following night, with the defending-champion Portland Winterhawks holding their home-opener in the Rose Garden against the Prince George Cougars.
The Medicine Hat Tigers, whose home arena had four feet of water in it on Monday, are to play their home-opener, against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, on Sept. 21.
The Calgary Hitmen, the Saddledome devastated by floodwaters on the weekend, are to play their home-opener on Sept. 28 against the Red Deer Rebels.
Prince Albert fans will get their first look at new head coach Cory Clouston on Sept. 21 when the Saskatoon Blades are the visitors. The Raiders are to play in Saskatoon on Sept. 20.
Drake Berehowsky, the new head coach in Lethbridge, makes his debut on Sept. 20 against visiting Medicine Hat.
Dave Hunchak, who moved up from associate coach to take over as head coach in Kamloops, gets his first regular-season taste on Sept. 20 against the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Of course, Hunchak was the head coach for four seasons in Moose Jaw before coming to Kamloops two years ago, so it’s not like it will be a new experience to him.
And you know that it will be noisy in Everett on Sept. 21 as the Silvertips, with Kevin Constantine having returned to their bench, play host to Prince George.
Meanwhile, the WHL schedule goes black from Nov. 24 through Nov. 28, with the Grey Cup in Regina on the Sunday and the Subway Super Series in Red Deer and Lethbridge on Nov. 27 and 28, respectively.
It goes black for nine days over Christmas, with no games scheduled from Dec. 18-26, inclusive. Play resumes with 10 games on Dec. 27.
Six teams have scheduled New Year’s Eve home games — Brandon is at Edmonton, Victoria at Everett, Prince Albert at Moose Jaw, Kelowna at Portland, Kamloops at Seattle, and Spokane at Tri-City.
There will be three afternoon games on New Year’s Day — Lethbride at Regina, Swift Current at Saskatoon, and Everett at Victoria.
Victoria and Everett will open their Dec. 31 game at 6:05 p.m., then hustle to Vancouver Island for a 3:05 p.m. start on Jan. 1.
On Jan. 14, Medicine Hat will play in Lethbridge, while Seattle is in Spokane. The CHL Top Prospects game is the following night in Calgary.
There aren’t any games scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 2).
The regular season is to conclude on March 16, with the playoffs to begin on March 21. Should a tiebreaker be needed to decide one of the conference’s final playoff spots, it would be played on March 18.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have named Ron Gunville their new assistant director of player personnel, replacing the recently retired Ray Dudra. . . . The Raiders also added two scouts to their staff — Doug Padget of Saskatoon and Dwaine Hutton of Calgary. . . . Gunville, who played 38 games with the Raiders in the late 1980s, had been on the staff of the Prince George Cougars. In fact, when the Cougars named Todd Harkins their head scout and director of player personnel on June 14, general manager Dallas Thompson also announced that “Gunville and Pacific-area scout Bob Simmonds will have expanded roles as scouting directors in their respective territories.”
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The Oklahoma City Barons, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, have signed D Joey Leach to an ATO. Leach played four seasons with the Kootenay Ice, completing his eligibility this season. He was a third-round selection by the Calgary Flames in the 2010 NHL draft, but they never signed him. He actually finished this season with the Barons, getting into one regular-season game.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Salmon Arm SilverBacks have added Kevin Kraus (Kamloops, Tri-City, 2006-08) as an assistant coach. He also will serve as the club’s strength-and-conditioning coach. Kraus, from Garden Grove, Calif., spent the past two seasons as general manager and head coach of the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies of the Kootenay International junior league.
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Matt Erhart has joined the Vancouver Giants as an assistant coach under head coach Don Hay. Erhart replaces Glen Hanlon, who now is the head coach of the Belarusian national team. . . . Erhart spent the last three seasons as head coach of the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, who won the league championship this season.
With Erhart gone, the Eagles named team president Peter Schaefer (Brandon, 1994-97) the new general manager and head coach. Schaefer is coming off his first season as an assistant coach with the Eagles.
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Brad Lukowich (Kamloops, 1993-96) has signed on as an assistant coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The announcement came two weeks after Drake Berehowsky was named the club’s new head coach. . . . Lukowich, who is from Kamloops, is a two-time Stanley Cup champ who ended his playing career after the 2012-13 season.
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The NHL’s Minnesota Wild has moved its AHL affiliate from Houston to Des Moines, Iowa. But, as Mark Emmert of the Des Moines Register has pointed out, the team doesn’t have a coaching staff. John Torchetti, the Houston Aero’s head coach for the past two seasons, now is the head coach of the KHL’s CSKA Moscow. As well, assistant coaches Sebastien Laplante and Mike Van Ryn won’t be back. . . . Emmert’s report is right here.
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From former WHL D Brandon Underwood (@BUND3RWOOD): “Officially registered for classes today at UBC. For the first time in my life I'm actually excited for school. #LearningIsFun”


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The WHL’s arena advisory committee’s next meeting is scheduled for August, at which time, Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports, commissioner Ron Robison is going to recommend that all WHL facilities install acrylic glass. . . . The glass has been installed in the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon at a cost of, uhh, $350,000. In Saskatoon’s case, the province kicked in $250,000 with the city good for 100 grand.
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Meanwhile, Nugent-Bowman also reports that WHL fans are going to be able to watch On the Edge: Road to the Memorial Cup on Sportsnet as a lead-up to the 2013 tournament that is to be played in Saskatoon. It sounds like it’s all but a done deal, with the show to be patterned after 24/7, the show HBO has done that leads fans into the NHL’s Winter Classic. . . . The difference being that 24/7 deals with professional adults, not with teenagers. . . . Two questions, if you’re a parent: 1. Do you want your child as a subject of such a show?; 2. If such a show goes ahead and you child is on it, would you like to see some cash coming his way?
Nugent-Bowman’s story is right here. . . . Would have loved to have had a show like this around when Lorne Molleken, the Blades’ GM/head coach, was playing for the Winnipeg Clubs. Could have called it Full Mooner over Winnipeg. Now that would have been a ratings hit.
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The Edmonton Oilers have hired one of hockey’s good guys to replace another of the good guys. Rick Carriere has been named senior director of player development, replacing the retired Billy Moores. . . . Carriere, 53, was the GM of the Medicine Hat Tigers (2000-04) and scouted for them through last season. He also served as a head coach with the Tigers and Red Deer Rebels. . . . It was Carriere who took the bullets when the Tigers bottomed out, but, Mama, look at them now. The decision to rebuild through the draft and put the faith in the scouting staff has paid off in a full house night after night. . . . Carriere has been teaching at Vimy Ridge Academy in Edmonton. . . . Interestingly, Carriere played for Moores with the U of A Golden Bears in the early 1980s. . . . Moores will remain with the Oilers, as a consultant in the player development area.
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More WHLers off to NHL development camps. . . . The Philadelphia Flyers have added F Mitch Elliot (Seattle), F Austin Fyten (Vancouver), F Cole Grbavac (Medicine Hat), D Matt Konan (Medicine Hat) and D Justin Hamonic (Tri-City). . . . Hamonic’s name also appears on the camp roster for the Toronto Maple Leafs and I’m told that he will attend both development camps. It sounds something like a rock star on tour. No? Here’s hoping he keeps a diary as there might be a good book there. . . . F Adam Hughesman (Tri-City) will join the Maple Leafs. . . . D Joey Leach (Kootenay) is going camping with the Winnipeg Jets, while F Trevor Cheek (Calgary) is headed for the Carolina Hurricanes. . . . F Taylor Peters (Portland) will camp out with the Florida Panthers. . . . G Mackenzie Skapski (Kootenay) is to join the Minnesota Wild.
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F Max Moline, 19, won’t be back with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, deciding instead to attend the U of Lethbridge. Moline, who is from Lethbridge, began his career with the Tri-City Americans and finished with the Hurricanes. However, injuries limited him to 75 games, during which he earned eight points, two of them goals. . . . He got some publicity last season when his fiancee, Kaylee Lyon, gave birth to Ronald James Winston Moline in January.
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The San Francisco Bulls are getting closer to their debut in the ECHL. Their first player, Czech F Peter Sivak, was introduced to fans on Thursday. Oldtimers may be incredulous to learn that the Bulls will play, yes, in the Cow Palace, which apparently has had something of a makeover.
Steve Langsam of the Martinez News-Gazette has more right here.
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The Vancouver Giants have hired Alex Grebenyuk as their new director of media relations and broadcasting, which means he will be the team’s play-by-play voice. For the last four seasons, he has been the radio voice of the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. Grebenyuk replaces Dan Elliott, who was dropped after last season and now is at his alma mater, the U of British Columbia, as the manager of media relations.
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After five seasons in the ownership game, the Okanagan Hockey Academy is unloading the BCHL’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The OHA has reached an agreement with the Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society that will have 100 per cent of the franchise change hands. Ron Rauch of the Victoria Times Colonist has more right here.
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The UBC Hornets minor hockey coach who got caught on video tripping an opposing player? It seems that he is going to live in infamy because all signs point to this incident become a teaching moment for minor hockey coaches. Sarah Boesveld of the National Post has more right here. And if you haven’t there’s a link to the video there, too.
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THE COACHING GAME:
D.J. Smith is the new head coach of the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. . . . He has been with the Windsor Spitfires since 2005, first as assistant and then associate coach. . . . Smith, a defenceman, played for the Spitfires before going on to a pro career that included stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche. His playing career was halted by post-concussion syndrome. . . . Smith takes over from Gary Agnew, who was dropped in April. . . .
Former NHLer Rick Vaive is getting into the coaching game. He is taking over as head coach of the minor midget AAA Oakville Rangers, a team that comprises 1997-born players. Vaive, 53, is a longtime resident of Oakville, Ont. He has pro coaching experience in the ECHL (East Carolina Stingrays), AHL (Saint John Flames) and OHL (Mississauga IceDogs). He also has coached minor hockey, and once had a team whose roster included Jeff Skinner and Tyler Seguin, both of who now are NHLers.

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THE PRO GAME:
F Matej Stransky of the Saskatoon Blades has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. He was a sixth-round selection in the NHL’s 2011 draft. Stransky, who is from Ostraa, Czech Republic, had 81 points, including 39 goals, this season, his second in the WHL.
F Marek Tvrdon of the Vancouver Giants is joining the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. Tvrdon, from Nitra, Slovakia, was a fourth-round pick by the Red Wings in the 2011 NHL draft. He led all WHL freshmen in points (74) this season.
F Jordan Weal of the Regina Pats is off to the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs, while D Colton Jobke will finish up with the AHL’s Houston Aeros and D Martin Marincin with the AHL’s Oklahoma City Blazers. . . . Weal was a third-round selection by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2010 NHL draft. . . . Jobke has signed a free-agent deal with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. . . . The Edmonton Oilers took Marincin in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft.
F Taylor Vause, who had such a wonderful season with the Swift Current Broncos, has had his season ended by a broken foot. Vause, 20, signed an ATO with the AHL’s Texas Stars and was playing with them when he broke a foot. He finished with one goal in four games with the Stars.
F Max Reinhart and D Joey Leach of the Kootenay Ice have joined the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. . . . Both were third-round selections by the Flames in the 2010 NHL draft.
D Matthew Konan of the Medicine Hat Tigers has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Konan, 20, is from Tustin, Calif., and is finishing up his fifth season with the Tigers. This season, he had 54 points, 45 of them assists, and 73 penalty minutes in 72 games. He was an NHL free agent.
G Brandon Glover of the Calgary Hitmen has joined the Abbotsford Heat, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. Glover, 19, is an undrafted free agent.
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The Kamloops Blazers have added D Jordan Thomson, 15, and F Brayden Gelsinger, 16, to their roster through the end of the playoffs. . . . Thomson, the fourth overall pick in the 2011 bantam draft, had 29 points in 35 games with the midget AAA Southwest Cougars, who are based in Souris, Man. . . . Gelsinger, a list player, had 42 points, 22 of them goals, in 41 games with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Will Verner has resigned as general manager and head coach of the junior B Fernie Ghostriders of the Kootenay International junior league. Verner spent the last five seasons in the position.
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More than a year has gone by since the NHL mandated that a player suspected of having a concussion be taken from the bench area and spend at least 15 minutes being evaluated away from the noise of the game. So, Mark Spector of Sportsnet wonders: What happened to The Quiet Room? That piece is right here.
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The Canadian women’ water polo team would appear to have an excellent opportunity to win a medal at the Olympic Games in London this summer. Except for one problem – concussions. Randy Starkman of the Toronto Star has that story right here.
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Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail writes right here about a discussion that took place in Peterborough, Ont., last week. It had to do with concussions in hockey and there are some interesting stories here, most of which involve overzealous parents.
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Anne McIlroy of The Globe and Mail has a story right here on the impact of concussions on one particular minor hockey team. There are 17 players on the roster. Guess how many ended up concussed?
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If you’re looking for a good read, check out Elliotte Friedman’s weekly column. It’s right here.

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Brock Otten from ohlprospects.blogspot.com — there’s a link over there on the right — is beating the drum for an interesting suggestion.
“I can already hear you saying it. In fact, I'm prepared to read your comments that tell me just that,” he begins. “I'm going to try and convince you that the OHL (and CHL) should increase the number of Import players allowed on each team's roster.”
If you are interested in the rest of his argument, check out his blog.
But I, for one, would be all for that.
And I would go two steps further . . .
I would do away with the provision that a 20-year-old import player takes up two spots — one as an import and one as a 20-year-old. (Teams are allowed to list two imports and three 20-year-olds on their rosters; a 20-year-old import thus takes up two of those five spots.)
I also would allow teams to keep four or five 20-year-old players. I would push for five, but would settle for four.
“The question is,” Otten writes, “would the league not benefit from increasing the quality of its talent base?”
Oh, boy, would it ever.
I have never been able to understand how it is that teams in the CHL will spend money to develop players and then cut one of them loose when he turns 20, not because he isn’t good enough to play, but because they are only permitted to keep three players in his age group.
The same holds true for imports. With the money spent on recruiting imports, getting all the paperwork done, flying them back and forth . . . why cut one loose because he’s 20 years of age when he still has another season in him?
Of course, it is doubtful that the CHL ever will go to three import players or more than three 20-year-olds.
Why not?
Because the CHL and its teams will argue that they are in the business of developing players.
While I would certainly agree with that, I would argue that they also are in the entertainment business. And given a little more maturity the product that now is being presented to the paying customers could be a whole lot better than it is today.
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JUST NOTES: F Ryan Johansen, who still is eligible to play for the Portland Winterhawks, scored twice as the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Saturday night. Johansen has five goals, including all three of CBJ’s game-winners. That is one off the league lead, held by Vinny Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning. . . .
The Everett Silvertips have picked up F Teal Burns, 19, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Burns, who is from Victoria, opened this season with the Vancouver Giants, before being dealt to the Raiders. He has eight assists and eight penalty minutes in 16 games. He also has played for the Portland Winterhawks, who selected him in the eighth round of the 2007 bantam draft. . . . With F Tyler Maxwell, 20, having asked for a trade and subsequently been sent home, Everett had an opening for a player with WHL experience. . . .
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In Kamloops, the Blazers outshot the Edmonton Oil Kings 22-1 in the second period as they posted a 5-2 victory. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Griffin Reinhart and F Klarc Wilson, both of whom were injured in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday. Edmonton D Mark Pysyk didn’t return after the first period in Kamloops. . . . According to Oil Kings head coach Derek Laxdal, Reinhart and Pysyk have upper body injuries — there is a real epidemic of those in the WHL this season — and Wilson has, uhh, a lower body owwie. . . . 

In Portland, F Sven Bartschi’s goal just 30 seconds into OT gave the Winterhawks a 4-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the visiting Chiefs 6-5 in a shootout on Friday. . . . Portland has won five straight. . . . Bartschi had a goal and two assists; he has 30 points, including 23 helpers, in 13 games. . . . Portland’s Ty Rattie, who plays on a line with Bartschi, had two goals and two assists. . . . Rattie has 14 points in five November games, picking up at least two points in each game. . . . Interestingly, the team’s 20-year-old captains — Portland D William Wrenn and Spokane F Darren Kramer — duked it out at 12:23 of the first period. It was Wrenn’s second fight in 51 games; Kramer has had 54 in 83 games. . . .

In Brandon, the Wheat Kings won their third straight game, beating the Prince Albert Raiders, 7-4. . . . The Wheat Kings had won 4-1 in Prince Albert on Wednesday night. . . . The victory lifted Brandon (14-6-2) into first place in the Eastern Conference. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had two goals and two assists, moving back into the lead in the WHL points race, with 46. He is two ahead of Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem. . . . D Ryan Pulock, who is having an all-star season, had two goals and an assist. He has 28 points, tops among defencemen. . . . Brandon was 4-for-6 on the PP. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos built up a 3-0 lead and hung on to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2. . . . The Warriors had won seven in a row. . . . F Shea Howorko, a 17-year-old from Regina, scored his second goal of the season and it stood up as the winner. He has two goals in 22 games, both of them coming in his last two outings; last season, he had one in 61. . . .

In Cranbrook, D Joey Leach had two goals as the host Kootenay ice bounced the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-1. . . . Leach has four goals this season. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 13 shots. . . . Seattle finished 2-4-0 on its swing through the Central Division. . . .


In Lethbridge, F Jordan Messier had two goals and an assist to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 7-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 13 shots for his fourth straight victory. . . . The Americans held an 18-0 edge in shots in the third period. . . . He was beaten by F Nick Buonassisi on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Americans went 3-0 on their brief trip into the Central Division and six in a row overall on the road. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Matej Stransky had two goals — he’s got 12 — as the Saskatoon Blades beat the Tigers, 5-1. . . . Medicine Hat F Emerson Etem was held pointless for the second time this season. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask broke a 1-1 tie at 14:09 of the first period as the Blades scored the game’s last four goals. . . . F Chris Collins was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after missing three weeks with a broken thumb. . . .

In Everett, the Silvertips scored two PP goals early in the second period and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-2. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz earned his first WHL victory as Everett ended a six-game losing streak. Lotz stopped 21 shots in his third start. . . . Prince George F Charles Inglis, the enigmatic one, took a charging major at 19:56 of the first period. Everett F Ryan Harrison scored PP goals at 3:28 and 4:48 of the second period. . . . Inglis is certain to hear from Richard Doerksen, who handles discipline for the WHL. Inglis served a 10-game suspension for a check to the head earlier this season. . . . Everett F Josh Birkholz left the game after the Inglis hit. . . . Everett F Jesse Mychan also can expect a phone call after taking a major for a check to the head at 14:08 of the second period. . . . Mychan also is a repeat offender, having served a two-game sentence for a check to the head in the exhibition season and another two-gamer late in October. . . . The Cougars lost F Brock Hirsche and D Jesse Forsberg to injuries during the game. . . .

In Vancouver, F Marek Tvrdon scored 56 seconds into OT to give the Giants a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Vancouver D Neil Manning forced OT with a PP goal at 5:00 of the third period. . . . It was Manning’s first goal this season. . . . Tvrdon has 10. . . . The Giants are 9-1-1 at home. . . .

In Victoria, the Rebels got a goal and three assists from D Alex Petrovic as they won their third game in four nights, beating the Royals, 7-4. . . . The Rebels beat the Rockets 6-4 in Kelowna on Wednesday, then dumped the Blazers 5-3 in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Overall, Red Deer has won six straight. . . . Victoria was again without F Kevin Sundher (undisclosed). . . .
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Could it be that while the WHL has been working on educating its players on the harm that can be caused by checks to the head, it has forgotten about the nastiness of hits from behind?
Well, there were a gawd-awful 10 checking-from-behind minors handed out on Saturday night, which means it’s time to bring back the nightly count.
SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (10):
Kenton Miller, Moose Jaw
Richard Nedomlel, Swift Current
Carter Proft, Spokane
Alessio Bertaggia, Brandon
Mitchell Moroz, Edmonton
Tyler Alos, Seattle
Mitch Topping, Tri-City (double minor)
Mason Burr, Red Deer
Austin Carroll, Victoria
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Bryant Perrier, who no longer is the general manager and head coach of the MJHL’s Neepawa Natives, says he is being “hung out to dry” over a hazing incident that has enveloped that team.
Perrier has spoken with Dan Lett of the Winnipeg Free Press, and that story is right here.
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Are you wondering how something like the Penn State sexual abuse scandal could happen? Ron Bracken, a former sports editor of the Centre Daily Times, writes about just that right here. And it has everything to do with transparency, or lack of same.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Wednesday . . .

The Vancouver Giants return home Friday night after what has to be the longest road trip in WHL history. The Giants and Kelowna Rockets will play at Pacific Coliseum, the first game there since Jan. 3. On that night, the Giants beat the Rockets, 6-3. . . . The Giants then had to vacate the facility for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. They have played 27 games since the last played in their home rink. . . . The Giants started by going 5-5-0-0. They then played five ‘home’ games in the Langley Events Centre, going 3-1-0-1. They then played a game in Chilliwack, and won. . . . Then it was back to Langley for another ‘home’ game, and a victory. . . . The last 10 games were played on the road, where they went 5-4-1-0. . . . Add it all up and the Giants are 15-10-1-1 since they last played in the Pacific Coliseum. You have to think they are pleased with that.
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The Prince Albert Raiders are out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. That much was decided in Wednesday’s action. . . . The Kootenay Ice moved a point ahead of the Medicine Hat Tigers in the fight for fourth place and home-ice advantage in the first round. . . . The Chilliwack Bruins moved into a tie with the Kamloops Blazers for seventh in the Western Conference. They are two points behind the Kelowna Rockets. All three teams have two games remaining.
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THE PLAYOFF CHASE
Teams in the running for playoff spots, showing games remaining (d — division leaders, who are seeded one-two; y — clinched division championship; x — clinched playoff spot):
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
y-Calgary (2) 50-17-1-2-103
dx-Brandon (2) 48-18-1-3-100
x-Saskatoon (2) 45-18-3-4-97
x-Kootenay (2) 41-24-3-2-87
x-Medicine Hat (2) 39-23-3-5-86
x-Red Deer (2) 39-26-0-5-83
x-Moose Jaw (2) 33-27-4-6-76
x-Swift Current (2) 35-30-1-4-75
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Prince Albert (2) 31-34-3-2-67
Wednesday: Moose Jaw 2 at Brandon 8; Swift Current 5 at Prince Albert 2; Regina 3 at Saskatoon 2; Calgary 4 at Edmonton 1; Red Deer 1 at Kootenay 5.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Brandon at Regina; Prince Albert at Saskatoon; Edmonton at Calgary; Medicine at Lethbridge; Kootenay at Red Deer.
Saturday: Saskatoon at Prince Albert; Regina at Brandon; Moose Jaw at Swift Current; Edmonton at Kootenay; Lethbridge at Medicine Hat.
Sunday: Red Deer at Calgary.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
(top eight advance)
dx-Tri-City (2) 46-21-1-2-95
y-Vancouver (3) 40-24-2-3-85
x-Everett (3) 44-20-3-2-93
x-Spokane (3) 43-21-3-2-91
x-Portland (2) 42-25-2-1-87
x-Kelowna (2) 33-31-2-4-72
x-Kamloops (2) 32-32-2-4-70
x-Chilliwack (2) 32-32-1-5-70
Wednesday: Chilliwack 7 at Prince George 4; Seattle 1 at Tri-City 4.
Thursday: No games scheduled.
Friday: Portland at Chilliwack; Prince George at Kamloops; Tri-City at Spokane; Kelowna at Vancouver; Seattle at Everett.
Saturday: Prince George at Kelowna; Kamloops at Vancouver; Chilliwack at Everett; Portland at Seattle; Spokane at Tri-City.
Sunday: Vancouver at Seattle; Swift Current at Moose Jaw; Everett at Spokane.
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WEDNESDAY:
In Saskatoon, F Jordan Eberle scored two goals go help the Regina Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Blades. . . . Eberle, who leads the WHL with 104 points, has 48 goals. . . . Eberle holds a four-point lead over linemate Jordan Weal, who reached the 100-point plateau with one assist. . . . Eberle scored at 9:04 of the first period and 4:18 of the second as the visitors took a 2-0 lead. . . . In his last five games in Saskatoon, Eberle scored nine goals and set up two others. . . . D Stefan Elliott scored both goals for the Blades. His first, his 25th, pulled them to within 2-1 at 19:18 of the second. . . . Regina D Myles Bell restored the two-goal lead with his fourth goal at 3:29 of the third. . . . Elliott’s second goal originally was credited to F Dan Hulak, but was changed after the game. . . . The Pats, who won’t make the playoffs, have won three in a row. . . . Regina G Dawson Guhle stopped 33 shots; Saskatoon’s Adam Morrison stopped 31. . . . Both teams were 0-for-4 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 4,904.
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In Prince Albert, the Swift Current Broncos put up a 5-2 victory, putting out the Raiders’ faint playoff hopes in the process. . . . With the victory, the Broncos clinched the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos got first period goals from F Michael Stickland, his 21st, shorthanded at 15:08, and F Justin Dowling, his 30th, on the PP at 17:36, and never looked back. . . . The Broncos also scored two empty-net goals, one by F Cody Eakin, his 46th, at 17:59 of the third and the other by Dowling, at 19:24. . . . Swift Current G Morgan Clark stopped 38 shots, six more than the Raiders’ Garrett Zemlak. . . . F Igor Revenko scored his 25th goal of the season for the Raiders, who have lost seven of eight. . . . Attendance was 2,166. . . . Swift Current F Matt Tassone, who sat out close to a month with a sports hernia, returned but left with back problems. The Broncos also were without F Adam Lowry (shoulder) and F Dillon Wagner (knee). They both have missed four games now.
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In Brandon, F Brayden Schenn picked up a six-pack — two goals and four assists — to lead the Wheat Kings to an 8-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . On Friday, Brandon beat visiting Moose Jaw, 9-2. . . . This could be a first-round playoff matchup, too. . . . Attendance was 6,022, the largest crowd ever to attend a What Kings game in what is now known as Westman Place. . . . The Wheat Kings reached 100 points for a second straight season, the first time the franchise has done that since 1977-78 and 1978-79. . . . Schenn has 33 goals. . . . F Matt Calvert helped Brandon with two goals, giving him 44, and three assists. . . . F Aaron Lewadniuk also had two Brandon goals, raising his total to 36, while teammate Scott Glennie had his 31st goal and three assists and D Colby Robak had a goal and two helpers. . . . Schenn, Calvert and Glennie each finished plus-4 on a line that totalled 15 points. . . . D Clinton Atkinson scored his first goal of the season for Moose Jaw. . . . Brandon G Jacob DeSerres stopped 21 shots, 23 fewer than Moose Jaw’s Brandon Glover. . . . Glover started his third straight game as Jeff Bosch has a hip problem. . . . The Wheat Kings have won six straight, while the Warriors have lost four of five. . . . Brandon was 3-for-5 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-for-4. . . . Brandon’s previous single-game attendance record (5,957) was set during a playoff game against the Calgary Hitmeni n April 2005. . . . The Wheat Kings, the host team for the Memorial Cup, have drawn 170,832 fans this season, and that also is a franchise record. . . . The Warriors went without F Quinton Howden (broken collarbone), D Dylan McIlrath (shoulder) and F Brendan Rowinski (lower body). . . . Brandon D Mark Schneider (concussion) returned after a three-game absence.
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In Edmonton, the Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Oil Kings, 4-1. . . . The Hitmen are the first WHL team this season to post 50 victories. . . . Calgary F Ian Schultz, with his 23rd, broke a 1-1 tie at 1:16 of the third period. . . . F Joel Broda, with his 38th, and F Tyler Fiddler, with his 29th, added insurance. . . . After Calgary F Del Cowan opened the scoring at 8:35 of the first period, on the PP, Edmonton D Drew Nichol tied the score with his third goal of the season at 3:35 of the second. . . . Calgary, which has won seven in a row, was 2-for-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-7. . . . The Oil Kings have lost six in a row. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones stopped 20 shots. He has allowed two goals over his last five complete games. . . . Edmonton G Torrie Jung turned aside 26 shots. . . . Attendance was 5,986. . . . Referee Brett Iverson, who needed some dental work done after taking a stick to the face in Prince George on Saturday, worked the game with Jon Stephenson. Iverson is from Vancouver.
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In Cranbrook, D Joey Leach drew four assists and was plus-5 to lead the host Kootenay Ice to a 5-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The victory lifted the Ice into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the idle Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . F Lane Scheidl gave the Rebels, who now have lost three straight, a 1-0 lead at 10:40 of the first period. . . . Leach then helped set up four straight goals, two in the second period and two more in the third. . . . F Kevin King had two goals for the Ice. He has 27 on the season. King tied it 49 seconds into the second period and F Matt Fraser broke the 1-1 tie with his 32nd goal at 1:06. . . . Attendance was 2,727. . . . The Ice went in having lost five of six. . . . Ice G Todd Mathews stopped 23 shots, while Red Deer’s Darcy Kuemper kicked out 30. . . . Kootenay D Ryan Molle was pointless but finished plus-4.
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In Prince George, F Ryan Howse scored twice to help the Chilliwack Bruins to a 7-4 victory over the Cougars. . . . One night earlier, Howse had three goals in a 7-4 victory. . . . In eight games against the Cougars this season, Howse, who is from Prince George, has scored 13 goals. He has 46 goals this season. . . . The Cougars, who trailed 4-1 late in the second period, cut it to 4-3 going into the third period. Howse then scored shorthanded at 1:08 of the third. . . . F James Dobrowolski scored three times for the Cougars, giving him 22 on the season, and also had an assist. He scored his third goal on the PP at 6:41 of the third, but the Bruins got that one back when F Shane Neigum got his 11th at 7:55. . . . Chilliwack F Tim Traber, who played last season for the major midget Cariboo Cougars, who play out of Prince George, scored his fourth goal of the season into an empty net. It was his second goal of the game. . . . Chilliwack D Jesse Craige didn’t get a point but was plus-4, while D Brandon Manning, who also is from Prince George, had a goal. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke, who scored two goals in his first game in Prince George on Tuesday, scored again in this one. . . . F Brett Connolly of the Cougars didn’t get any points and finished minus-5. . . . Prince George was 3-for-9 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-4. . . . Bruins D Matt Delahey played with a full facemask after taking a puck in the face Tuesday and losing a couple of teeth. . . . Chilliwack took 62 of the 106 penalty minutes handed out by referees Carl Poole and Trevor Hanson. . . . The Cougars, with two road games remaining, have lost 15 in a row.
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin set up three goals to lead the host Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . F Jordan Messier scored the game’s first two goals, giving him 22, at 1:05 and 4:03 of the second period. . . . After F Tyler Alos got his seventh, on the PP, for the Thunderbirds at 18:18 of the second, the Americans put it away with two third-period goals. . . . F Justin Feser, with his 34th, and F Kruise Reddick, with his 18th, both scored on the PP. . . . Tri-City was 2-for-4 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 1-for-2. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 42 shots for the Thunderbirds, while Tri-City G Alex Pechurskiy turned aside 26. . . . The Americans continue to be without G Drew Owsley (concussion) and are using Josh Romeike as a backup. Romeike, who has played hockey in the Tri-City area with the Tier III junior A Titans, is one of the Zamboni drivers at the Toyota Arena and Toyota Centre in Kennewick.