Showing posts with label Josh Mahura. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh Mahura. Show all posts

Saturday, May 6, 2017

WHL final all even ... Pats' Mahura wins Game 2 in OT ... Brooks out of action


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 While the Seattle Thunderbirds welcomed back F Keegan Kolesar, their top scorer in these playoffs, from a one-game WHL suspension, the Regina Pats were without F Adam Brooks for Game 2 of the championship final in the Saskatchewan capital on Saturday night.
If you haven’t seen it, here’s the hit Brooks, a point-a-game man, absorbed from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit in Game 1:

There was much debate after the game and well into Saturday as to whether Ottenbreit should have been suspended. This was one of those classic cases where it depends whose ox is being gored.
Regina fans, for the most part, are of the opinion that, yes, Ottenbreit should have been slapped with a suspension. Seattle fans are saying it was a legal hit.
Of course, had that been Seattle F Mathew Barzal, say, on the receiving end of a hit from Regina D Sergey Zborovskiy, chances are that the opinions would have been reversed.
While the check may have been legal, I really question, in this day and age when player safety is supposed to be first and foremost, whether that’s the kind of hit that should be welcomed in junior hockey. Keep in mind that this is precisely the kind of hit that the NFL has outlawed when it involves an defenceless receiver.
Of course, if all the junior hockey talk about player safety being a priority is just lip service, well then, hit away.
In the meantime, Brooks, who won the 2015-16 scoring champion and who put up 250 points over the past two seasons, most likely is going through the concussion protocol. He has five goals and 13 assists in these playoffs.
Brooks suffered a knee injury in Game 2 of the second-round series against the Swift Current Broncos and never skated another shift until the Eastern Conference final with the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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In the QMJHL, the host Saint John Sea Dogs scored a 4-0 victory over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Saturday night and now lead the championship series, 2-0. . . . Announced attendance was 5,872. . . . F Julien Gauther had two goals and an assist, giving him six points in the first two games of the series. . . . G Callum Booth earned the shutout with 27 stops. . . . They’ll play Game 3 on Tuesday in Blainville-Boisbriand.
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Coaching

 The Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League have shaken up their front office. Trevor Sprague, a two-time coach of the year, has stepped aside as head coach, but will remain the organization’s general manager. Sprague goes out on top as the Cougars won the league championship this season; they also were the host team for the TELUS Cup national championship tournament. . . . The new head coach is Tyler Brough, who has worked as an assistant coach with Sprague for the past two seasons. . . . The assistant coaches will be Justin Fillion and RJ Berra, while Bryan MacLean, who had been an assistant coach, now is the assistant GM. . . . Fillion and Berra both played for the Cougars and the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. . . . Pam Solmonson is returning for a second season as the Cougars’ trainer.
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SATURDAY’S GAME:


At Regina, D Josh Mahura scored two PP goals, the second in OT, to lead the Pats to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Regina scored the game’s last three goals as it erased a 3-1 deficit to tie the WHL’s championship series for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, 1-1. . . . The Thunderbirds had won Game 1, 2-1 in OT, on Friday. . . . The series will resume with Game 3 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night. In fact,
JOSH MAHURA
the next three games will be played in the ShoWare Center in Kent, meaning the Thunderbirds now have the opportunity to win their first WHL title on home ice. . . . A year ago, the Thunderbirds lost the WHL final to the Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-1. The first three games all went to OT, with Brandon posting three 3-2 victories. . . . Last night, the Thunderbirds appeared to take control when they struck for three goals in 56 seconds early in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. . . . The Pats took a 1-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game as F Sam Steel (9) took advantage of a Seattle turnover deep in its zone. . . . D Austin Strand (5) pulled the Thunderbirds even at 3:56 of the second period, his shot from just above the left circle getting through traffic and changing directions before beating G Tyler Brown. . . . Just 16 seconds later, D Turner Ottenbreit’s second goal, a slap shot from the point, gave the visitors the lead. . . . Just 40 seconds after that, F Alexander True (9) scored on a rebound while on a PP. . . . The Pats’ comeback began as Mahura pinched on a 5-on-3 PP and scored from beside the Seattle net at 18:35 of the second period. . . . Regina tied it at 5:20 of the third when F Filip Ahl (5) forced a turnover deep in the Seattle and then scored off it. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar was giving a kneeing minor after he gave the business to Regina D Connor Hobbs following a stoppage at 4:59 of OT. Mahura, who has six goals in the playoffs, scored just 23 seconds later, beating Seattle G Carl Stankowski with a 70-foot snapshot through some traffic. . . . Brown finished with 27 saves, five more than Stankowski. . . . Regina was 2-7 on the PP; Seattle was 1-3. . . . F Dawson Leedahl had two assists for Regina, while Steel and Ahl each had one. . . . Steel, the regular-season scoring champion, now has 27 points in the playoffs, one behind F Reid Gardiner of the Kelowna Rockets, who leads with 28. Steel leads playoff scorers in assists (18). . . . The Thunderbirds got back Kolesar from a one-game suspension. He went into the game leading them in goals (9) and points (22) in these playoffs. . . . Regina scratches: F Adam Brooks, D Dawson Davidson and F Jake Leschyshyn, all with injuries, G Max Paddock, F Duncan Pierce and F Owen Williams. With Brooks out, F Kjell Kjemhus got into the lineup. . . . Seattle’s scratches: G Rylan Toth (injured), F Elijah Brown, F Tyler Carpendale, F Dillon Hamaliuk, D Jake Lee and F Luke Ormsby. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a game story right here.
Andy Eide of 710 ESPN Seattle has a game story right here.
Darren Steinke, the Travellin’ Blogger, posted this piece right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
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WEDNESDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
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FRIDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:30 PM
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Monday, February 20, 2017

Scheduling quirks, quarks . . . CHL's last import goalie makes NHL debut . . . Leedahl leads tired Pats


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The Regina Pats escaped with a 3-2 OT victory over the host Prince Albert Raiders in Monday’s only WHL game.
The Pats, who have been the CHL’s No. 1-ranked team for much of this season, were playing their fifth game in seven days in seven different cities. Yes, that’s absurd, and here’s hoping the teenagers in this league get some relief from the schedule-maker next season.
“When you play five games in seven days, you can’t expect to have the energy,” John Paddock, the Pats’ general manager and head coach, told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. “It’s impossible. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Monday . . .
“I’m not making excuses for them or anything . . .”
Paddock admitted to being “happy with the two points,” but, as he added, “when you think of five games in seven days, that’s a tough schedule on anybody.”
The Pats went 2-3-0 in those games.
Go back a bit further and you discover that the Pats have played their past eight games in eight different cities in a span of 13 days. They have had five off days and you wonder how many really good practices Paddock has been able to hold in that stretch. Remember that the WHL is a development league. 
The schedule calls for the Pats to play 15 games in February’s 28 days.
They don’t play on March 1 or 2, but then will play three games in fewer than 48 hours. Oh, and they will finish the season by playing four games in five nights. This time, though, the first three of those will be at home.
What’s that? Oh, you want some more scheduling notes . . . 
The Vancouver Giants have 12 games left in their season.
The first three of those are against the Victoria Royals.
The next three are against the Portland Winterhawks.
Seriously.
Come on . . . you couldn’t make up something like that.
The Giants will play host to the Royals on Friday and then the teams will meet in Victoria on Saturday and Sunday.
On March 1, the Winterhawks will visit the Giants, and the teams are to clash in Portland on March 3 and 4.
A few more scheduling notes . . . 
The Everett Silvertips, who lead the Western Conference by one point over the Seattle Thunderbirds, are to play seven of their final eight games on the road. They will play those eight games over 12 days. The seven road games will be played in six different cities; they’ll make two stops in Kennewick, Wash., for games with the Tri-City Americans. . . .
Everett and Seattle are to meet three more times, two of them in Kent, Wash., the home of the Thunderbirds. The first of those is Sunday in Kent, when Seattle will be enjoying its second straight three-in-three weekend. . . . 
The Americans are third in the U.S. Division, five points ahead of the Winterhawks. They will play Wednesday in Kennewick, Wash. The Americans are to finish up by playing five of six at home. But the last three, two of which are to be against the Spokane Chiefs, will be played in fewer than 48 hours. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers have 11 games remaining, with seven of those to be played at home. They trail the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars by two points. The Cougars also have 11 games remaining. The Blazers and Cougars are to meet four more times, with three of those in Prince George. . . . 
The Cougars’ final 11 games include a one-game trek to Kelowna for a March 1 date with the Rockets, and a swing into the U.S. Division to play three games in four nights. . . . 
Don’t count out the Rockets, who are five points behind Prince George with two games in hand. The Rockets have 13 games left, with five of those against teams unlikely to make the playoffs. The Rockets also will finish up by playing six straight at home — over a 14-day period — before ending their schedule by visiting the Giants. In fact, three of Kelowna’s last five games will be against the Giants, who won’t make the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . 
The Royals, who are four points behind Kelowna, have an opportunity to get on a roll, with their next three games against Vancouver and then two in a row with the Chiefs, who are nine points out of a playoff spot. However, Victoria will finish by playing six of seven games on the road, including two each in Kamloops and Kelowna. The Royals will finish by going home-and-home with Everett. . . . 
The Moose Jaw Warriors will finish by playing nine games in 18 days, but seven of those games will be on home ice. They will go home-and-home with Regina on March 10 and 11 and do the same with the Swift Current Broncos on March 17 and 18. . . .
The Saskatoon Blades are scrambling in the hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2013. The Blades and Calgary are tied for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Saskatoon has 13 games remaining, one of those against the Hitmen — in Calgary on March 8. The Blades also have four games remaining with the Prince Albert Raiders, who won’t be in the playoffs but are 5-4-1 in their past 10 games. Saskatoon is coming off a weekend in which it played three road games in fewer than 48 hours, going 0-2-1, including a 3-2 loss in Calgary. This weekend, the Blades again will play three games, the first two against the Raiders, in fewer than 48 hours, but the last two are at home. . . .
The Broncos are third in the East Division, six points behind the Warriors with a game in hand. This weekend, the Broncos will play three games in fewer than 48 hours, two of them against Regina. The Broncos will finish the season with four games in five nights, only one of them at home. . . .
The Red Deer Rebels, who are 1-6-3 in their past 10 games, are in Prince George tonight (Tuesday) having lost eight in a row (0-6-2). The Rebels are third in the Central Division but are just two points ahead of the Calgary Hitmen, who are 3-0-1 in their past four games. The Rebels are at home to the Kootenay Ice on Friday, then will go home-and-home with the Hitmen on Saturday (Red Deer) and Sunday (Calgary). The Rebels and Hitmen also will meet March 15 in Red Deer. . . .
And now let the fun begin!
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Connor Hobbs, the leading scorer among WHL defencemen, didn’t play Monday as his Regina Pats beat the host Prince Albert Raiders, 3-2 in OT. The WHL has hit Hobbs with a TBD suspension after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Brett Howden during a 4-0 loss to the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Saturday night. . . . Hobbs leads all defencemen in goals (26) and points (69). . . . The Pats are scheduled to meet the Blades in Saskatoon on Wednesday night before returning home to face the Swift Current Broncos on Friday.
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Jake Morrissey, a former WHL goaltender, was credited with a goal on Friday night as his Sherwood Park Crusaders scored a 3-1 victory over the visiting Camrose Kodiaks. He was the last of the Crusaders to touch the puck — he had stopped a shot — when a Camrose player in trying to get the puck to a defenceman had it go all the way down the ice and into a vacated net. . . . Terry Jones of Postmedia has more right here.
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G Marek Langhamer, who played three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers, stopped seven of eight shots as he made his NHL debut in relief of Arizona Coyotes starter Mike Smith on Monday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Were this baseball, Langhamer, 22, would have been credited with a save in a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Coyotes. Of his seven saves, one was fantastic as he went post-to-post to beat Anaheim forward Sami Vatanen with his left pad as time expired.
Smith left at 4:29 of the third period after a goalmouth collision with Anaheim’s Jakob Silfverberg. Smith went into concussion protocol but is fine and is expected to practise on Tuesday.
Langhamer had been with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners before being summoned to backup Smith after Louis Domingue was hurt.
Langhamer, from Moravska Trebova, Czech Republic, was with Medicine Hat from 2012-15. The Coyotes selected him in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2012 draft.
Langhamer played as a 20-year-old with the Tigers in 2014-15. His WHL career ended on April 17 when he stopped 54 shots in a 4-3 double OT loss to the host Calgary Hitmen, who won a second-round series, 4-1.
Langhamer became the last import goaltender to play anywhere in the CHL, which had announced in June 2013 that it was banning such players. Import goaltenders in the CHL at the time were allowed to complete their eligibility.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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MONDAY’S GAME:


At Prince Albert, F Dawson Leedahl scored two goals, including the OT winner, as the Regina Pats beat the Raiders, 3-2. . . . Leedahl’s 29th goal of the season won the game at 2:31 of extra time. . . . Leedahl,
DAWSON LEEDAHL
a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, was acquired from the Everett Silvertips prior to the season. He has career highs in goals, assists (44) and points (73), all in 57 games. Last season, one that was shortened by injury, he finished with 12 goals and 15 assists in 27 games. In 2014-15, he had 14 goals and 19 assists in 52 games. His career high in assists (24) had come in 2013-14. . . . On Monday, F Sean Montgomery (13) had given the Raiders a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 13:13 of the first period. . . . Leedahl tied it at 4:35 of the second period. . . . The Raiders went back in front at 11:07 as F Tim Vanstone scored No. 11, on a PP. . . . Regina D Josh Mahura, who also had an assist, got his guys into a 2-2 tie with his 14th goal, at 19:47 of the second. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, had two assists. He has 105 points, seven more than teammate Adam Brooks, who had one assist. . . . Brooks, the defending WHL scoring king, and Steel are tied for the WHL lead in assists (66). . . . Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post points out that Brooks, who put up 120 points last season, “is poised to become the first Pat in more than a quarter-century to register consecutive 100-point seasons. Mike Sillinger hit triple digits in 1988-89 (131), 1989-90 (129) and 1990-91 (116).” . . . The Pats got 27 saves from G Jordan Hollett. . . . G Ian Scott turned aside 41 shots for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-2. . . . Regina, already without F Jake Leschyshyn (knee) and D Connor Hobbs (WHL suspension), lost F Filip Ahl to a charley horse during the game. . . . The Pats (42-9-7) had lost their previous two games. They lead the overall standings by six points over the Medicine Hat Tigers and hold two games in hand. . . . The Raiders (16-39-6) are 1-0-1 in their last two games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,461.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince George, 7 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:50 PM
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Saturday, February 11, 2017

Tigers derail 'Cane train . . . Pats win sets franchise record . . . Barzal six-pack sparks Seattle


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The Everett Silvertips, who opened an East Division trek in Brandon with a 2-1 loss to the Wheat Kings on Friday, made a pair of roster moves Saturday morning. They dropped F Bradly Goethals, 18, from their roster as he has left the team, and brought back F Cal Babych, who had been with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. . . . Babych, who turned 20 on Jan. 18, played two games — on Jan. 29 and 31 — with the Silvertips during a recent stint with them, before being returned to Coquitlam. . . . Babych also has played with the Calgary Hitmen, Prince George Cougars, Prince Albert Raiders and Vancouver Giants. In total, he has 35 points, 15 of them goals, in 154 regular-season games. He had seven goals and 22 assists in 36 games with the Express this season. . . . Everett acquired Goethals from Brandon on Oct. 12 for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft. He had three goals and three assists in 23 games with the Silvertips. “Bradly Goethals made significant strides to become a regular in our lineup,” general manager Garry Davidson said in a news release, “and made a decision to leave our hockey team for personal reasons. We acknowledge his wishes and priorities, and wish him well in his future endeavours.” . . . From Île-des-Chênes, Man., Goethals had 74 points, including 41 goals, in 43 games with the midget AAA Eastman Selects last season. He led the Manitoba Midget Hockey League in goals and points.
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When the Northern Michigan Wildcats blanked the visiting Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, 2-0 on Saturday, in Marquette, Mich., G Atte Tolvanen, a 22-year-old from Vihti, Finland, recorded his fifth straight shutout. That tied the record for consecutive shutouts that was set by Medicine Hat native Blaine Lacher in his senior season (1993-94) with the Lake Superior State Lakers. Lacher still holds the NCAA record with a shutout streak of 375 minutes 1 second. . . . Tolvanen’s streak is at 335:49. . . . Tolvanen is in his second season at NMU after spending two seasons in the NAHL, first with the Minnesota Magicians and then the Minot Minotauros. . . . The Wildcats are scheduled to visit the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks on Friday and Saturday nights. . . . The Wildcats’ head coach is Walt Kyle, who has been there since June 13, 2002. Kyle spent two seasons (1992-94) as head coach of the Seattle Thunderbirds.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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Concussion Report

 Like football and hockey, the sport of bull riding has come face-to-face with a concussion problem, a situation that has been exacerbated by the death of cowboy Ty Pozzobon, a rodeo star from Merritt, B.C. Pozzobon, who was 25 when he died on Jan. 25, is believed to have suffered 12 concussions. . . . Charlie Gillis of Maclean’s has more right here on Pozzobon and the situation in which bull riding now finds itself.
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“In the 1950s,” writes Juliet Macur of The New York Times, “tobacco companies responded to research proving a link between smoking and lung cancer by trying to discredit the science. They formed their own research group to poke holes in the data and to stave off public panic that cigarette smoking could cause serious diseases and death.
“More than 60 years later, the NHL has responded to a class-action lawsuit regarding head injuries with a similar approach.
“The suit, brought by former players and their families, claims that the league hid the dangers of brain trauma. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages.
“It now looks as if the NHL, which makes about US$4 billion a year, has chosen to go after the science behind the brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. It’s late to this game. Even the NFL — a longtime and loud naysayer that blows to the head cause CTE — has acknowledged the link.”
Macur’s story in its entirety is right here.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, F Tristen Nielsen scored in the eighth round of a shootout to give the Hitmen a 3-2 victory
TRISTEN NIELSEN
over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Jake Kryski gave Calgary a 1-0 lead in the skills competition to end the second round, but F Tyler Steenbergen tied it for the Broncos in the third round. . . . That set the stage for Nielsen, a first-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft who has two goals in 34 games this season. . . . F Ryley Lindgren sent the Broncos into a 1-0 lead at 9:01 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it at 10:30 of the second period as F Matteo Gennaro got No. 34. . . . Lindgren’s 17th goal gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 12:05. . . . Calgary forced OT when D Brady Reagan (4) scored, on a PP, at 13:12 of the third period. . . . Gennaro also had an assist. . . . G Kyle Dumba blocked 21 shots to earn the victory over Jordan Papirny, who stopped 31 shots, seven of them in extra time. . . . Calgary was 1-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-3. . . . The Hitmen (20-26-9) had lost their previous three games. They are three points away from a playoff spot. . . . The Broncos (29-17-9) are 4-0-1 in their past five outings. They are third in the East Division, five points behind Moose Jaw. . . . Announced attendance: 6,272.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Cole Fonstad’s goal in the eighth round of a shootout gave the Prince Albert
COLE FONSTAD
Raiders a 4-3 victory in a game featuring the teams with the WHL’s poorest records. . . . The Raiders (14-38-5) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Ice (12-34-9) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . They are tied for 21st in the overall standings, with the Ice holding two games in hand. . . . F Brett Davis scored for the Ice in the second round of the skills competition, with F Cavin Leth keeping the Raiders alive with a goal in the third round. . . . The Ice had taken a 1-0 lead when F Colton Kroeker scored at 3:26 of the first period. . . . The Raiders tied it on F Simon Stransky’s 15th goal at 18:12. . . . The final four goals came in the third period. . . . F Vince Loschiavo got No. 20 to put the Ice ahead at 1:07. . . . The visitors then took the lead on goals from F Parker Kelly (11), at 13:27, and F Curtis Miske (13), at 15:15. . . . Kroeker, who also had an assist, forced OT with his 11th goal at 18:43. . . . Loschiavo had two assists for the Ice. . . . Miske had an assist for the Raiders. . . . Fonstad, a 16-year-old from Estevan, Sask., was the fifth-overall pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He has nine goals and 12 assists in 55 games. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 34 shots for the Raiders, including six in OT. . . . The Ice got 25 saves from G Payton Lee. . . . Prince Albert was 0-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-7. . . . Announced attendance: 1,924.
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At Medicine Hat, G Michael Bullion stopped 19 shots in recording his first WHL shutout as the Tigers
ZACH FISCHER
dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. . . . Bullion, who was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks to back up Nick Schneider, was making his 36th career appearance. It was his 12th appearance with the Tigers. He now is 9-2-0, 2.72, .898. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko scored the game’s first goal, his 10th, on a PP at 3:47 of the first period. . . . F James Hamblin added insurance with No. 16, shorthanded, at 1:31 of the second period. . . . F Ryan Jevne (9) F Zach Fischer (29) and F Mason Shaw (22) also scored for the Tigers. . . . Fischer also had two assists, as did D Jordan Henderson. Kirichenko added one. . . . The Hurricanes started Stuart Skinner in goal. He left after allowing five goals on 34 shots in 52:08. Adam Swan then made his WHL debut, stopping all four shots he faced in 7:52. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-2 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-2. . . . The Tigers (40-16-1) have won four in a row. The now lead the Central Division by eight points over Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes (33-16-7), who had won nine straight, had points in each of their previous 15 games (13-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 4,419.
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At Moose Jaw, G Carter Hart turned aside 31 shots to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 2-0 victory over the
CARTER HART
Warriors. . . . The victory lifted the Silvertips back into first place in the U.S. Division, one point ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds, whose game against the visiting Portland Winterhawks started shortly before Everett’s game ended. Just over two hours later, Seattle completed an 8-5 victory and moved one point ahead of Everett. . . . Hart now has put up back-to-back shutouts as he blanked the visiting Vancouver Giants, 1-0, one week earlier. This is his second shutout streak of the season. As November ended, he put up three in a row. . . . Hart leads the WHL with eight shutouts this season and now has 18 in his career. . . . F Devon Skoleski (11) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 10:18 of the first period, with F Eetu Tuulola (13) providing insurance at 10:13 of the second period. . . . Skoleski also had an assist. . . . The Warriors got 32 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Silvertips are 1-1-0 on their six-game East Division trip. . . . Everett (32-12-10) is nine points ahead of third-place Tri-City in the U.S. Division. . . . The Warriors (32-17-8) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are second in the East Division, five points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Announced attendance: 3,337.
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At Red Deer, D Josh Mahura’s goal at 3:04 of OT gave the Regina Pats a 4-3 victory over the Rebels. . . .
JOSH MAHURA
Mahura, who has 13 goals, was acquired from the Rebels in a deal at the trading deadline. He has four goals and six assists in 15 games with Regina, after recording nine goals and 24 assists in 39 games with the Rebels this season. . . . F Austin Pratt (12) had given the Rebels a 1-0 lead at 19:25 of the first period. . . . The Pats took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Connor Hobbs (25), on a PP, at 19:45 of the second period and F Adam Brooks (31) just 26 seconds into the third. . . . Red Deer responded with two PP goals to take a 3-2 lead. F Michael Spacek (24) counted at 5:46, with D Colton Bobyk getting his fifth at 6:51. . . . The Pats forced extra time when F Austin Wagner got his 25th goal at 7:08. . . . Wagner also drew an assist on the winner. . . . Brooks also had two assists, with Hobbs adding one. . . . Regina F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring leader, had one assist. . . . Steel has 98 points, four more than Brooks. . . . The Rebels got 47 shots from G Riley Lamb. He was especially busy in the second and third periods as the Pats outshot the Rebels by margins of 21-5 and 17-5. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 23 shots. . . . Red Deer was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-7. . . . The Rebels had F Cam Hausinger and F Adam Musil back after they served two- and one-game suspensions, respectively. . . . Regina (40-6-7) ran its winning streak to 11 games. The Pats lead the overall standings by six points over Medicine Hat with four games in hand. . . . The Rebels (23-24-9) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). They are third in the Central Division, six points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 6,297.
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At Saskatoon, F Jesse Shynkaruk scored his second goal of the game at 4:43 of OT as the Blades beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2, on Ukrainian Night. . . . Shynkaruk now has 26 goals this season, and
JESSE SHYNKARUK
that’s not bad for a 20-year-old who was a walk-on at training camp. . . . Shynkaruk, who is from Saskatoon, went into the season with 23 goals and 25 assists in 196 career regular-season games split between the Kamloops Blazers and Moose Jaw Warriors. He was a seventh-round pick by the Blazers in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . This season, he has 26 goals and 14 assists in 41 games. . . . The game’s first four goals came in a span of 6:19 in the second period. . . . Shynkaruk put the Blades ahead 1-0, on a PP, at 9:35. . . . Brandon F Ty Lewis (25) tied it, on a PP, at 12:12. . . . The Blades went back out front when F Josh Paterson (13) counted at 14:11. . . . The Wheat Kings pulled even as F Stelio Mattheos (21) scored another PP goal, at 15:54. . . . Shynkaruk’s OT winner came from the backdoor off a pass from F Mason McCarty. . . . F Nolan Patrick and D Kale Clague each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Saskatoon G Logan Flodell stopped 21 shots, one more than Brandon’s Travis Child. . . . Brandon was 2-5 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-4. . . . The Wheat Kings dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum, as they used nine forwards and seven defencemen. . . . The Blades, already with six players on the injury list, lost F Chase Wouters to an undisclosed injury in the first period. . . . This was the final game the eight-game season series. The Wheat Kings were 4-2-2; the Blades finished 4-3-1. . . . For those unfamiliar with the beloved loser point, that means Brandon won the series, 10-9. . . . Saskatoon (23-26-6) has won three in a row and holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, 10 points behind Brandon and three in front of Calgary. . . . Brandon (27-20-8) has points in four straight (2-0-2) and is five points behind third-place Swift Current in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,307.
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At Kent, Wash., F Mathew Barzal had a career-high six points as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Portland Winterhawks, 8-5. . . . F Ryan Gropp had two goals and an assist for Seattle, running his goal-
MATHEW BARZAL
scoring streak to six games and his point streak to 12. In those 12 games, he has put up 11 goals and 14 assists, and Seattle is 11-0-1 in that span. . . . Barzal finished with a goal, his eighth, and five assists. He has 54 points, 46 of them assists, in 29 games this season. He has played 190 regular-season games, putting up 253 points, including 192 assists. . . . The first four stoppages in this game were for goals. . . . Seattle took a 1-0 lead when F Tyler Adams scored his second goal at 1:39 of the first period. . . . Portland went ahead 2-1 on goals from F Jake Gricius (6), at 4:02, and F Cody Glass (26), at 5:33. . . . Barzal tied it at 6:38. . . . Barzal’s goal was the first of four straight for Seattle. . . . D Reece Harsch got his third goal at 18:48. F Alexander True scored No. 18, shorthanded, at 3:27 of the second period and F Keegan Kolesar (16) upped Seattle’s lead to 5-2, on a PP, at 7:47. . . . The Winterhawks got back to within a goal as F Joachim Blichfeld scored twice, giving him 23, at 9:16 and 14:51. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear stretched the lead with his 21st goal, on a PP, at 10:30 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks made it interesting as F Skyler McKenzie (35) counted at 11:16. . . . Gropp put it away with two goals, at 11:49 and 18:10, the second into an empty net. . . . Gropp, who also had an assist, has 11 goals and 14 assists in his 12-game run. . . . In his last four games, Gropp has seven goals and five assists. . . . In their last four games, Barzal, Gropp and Kolesar have combined for 37 points. . . . Bear, who was playing in his 250th career game, also had three assists for his second career four-point game. He has 52 points, including 31 assists, in 53 games. . . . Portland got two assists from glass. . . . The Thunderbirds got 29 saves from G Rylan Toth, while Portland’s Cole Kehler blocked 20. . . . Seattle was 2-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-5. . . . The Thunderbirds were able to dress only 16 skaters, including 10 forwards. . . . The Thunderbirds were without D Turner Ottenbreit, who left Friday’s 6-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans and didn’t return. Seattle F Sami Moilanen, who also didn’t finish Friday’s game, was in the lineup last night. . . . The Winterhawks played for a second straight night without a 20-year-old in their lineup. . . . Seattle (35-15-5) is 11-0-1 in its past 12 games and leads the U.S. Division by one point over Everett. . . . The Winterhawks (30-23-3) are fourth in the U.S. Division, two points behind Tri-City. . . . Announced attendance: 5,653.
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At Spokane, the Chiefs built a 4-0 second-period lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City
ETHAN McINDOE
Americans. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto’s 31st goal, at 2:28 of the first period, gave the home side a 1-0 lead. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto’s 21st goal, at 3:09, upped that to 2-0. . . . Both goals came via the PP. . . . F Ethan McIndoe scored two second-period goals for a 4-0 lead. He’s got 14 goals. . . . The Americans got back into it with three third-period goals. . . . F Brett Leason got his third at 1:40, with F Tyler Sandhu scoring his 15th at 10:24, and D Juuso Valimaki counting his 16th at 12:56. . . . The Chiefs got two assists from F Riley Woods and one each from the Yamamoto brothers. . . . Spokane started G Jayden Sittler, who was beaten three times on 19 shots in 52:56. He got the victory. Dawson Weatherill came on to earn a save, stopping all five shots he faced in 7:04. . . . G Rylan Parenteau stopped 25 shots for the Americans. . . . Spokane was 2-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-3. . . . Tri-City was without F Michael Rasmussen for a second straight game. . . . The Chiefs (23-23-9) have points in three straight (2-0-1). They are eight points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Americans (31-23-3) have lost three in a row. . . . . Announced attendance: 9,848.
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At Langley, B.C., G Brodan Salmond blanked the Vancouver Giants for a second straight night as the
BRODAN SALMOND
Kelowna Rockets posted a 5-0 victory. . . . One night after making 22 saves in a 6-0 victory in Kelowna, the 18-year-old native of Calgary stopped 19 shots for his third career shutout. . . . The Royals got out to a 1-0 lead when F Calvin Thurkauf (25) scored, on a PP, at 6:10 of the first period. . . . D James Hilsendager (3) made it 2-0 at 8:49. . . . F Erik Gardiner (4) counted on a PP, at 1:01 of the second period, giving him two goals in two nights. . . . D Lucas Johansen (4) and F Kole Lind (26) had the other Kelowna goals. . . . The Rockets got three assists from F Dillon Dube, with Gardiner and Johansen adding one each. . . . The Giants got 33 saves from G David Tendeck. . . . Kelowna was 2-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (32-20-4) have won two in a row. They are third in the B.C. Division, six points behind Kamloops and two ahead of Victoria. . . . The Giants (18-34-5) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,233.
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At Victoria, G Dylan Ferguson blocked 36 shots to lead the Kamloops Blazers to a 3-1 victory over the
DYLAN FERGUSON
Royals. . . . One night earlier, the host Royals beat the Blazers, 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Last night, the Blazers went 3-7 on the PP, scoring in the final minute of each period. . . . The Royals were 0-6 on the PP. . . . F Collin Shirley’s 23rd goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 19:53 of the first period. . . . Victoria tied it at 1:37 of the second period when F Eric Florchuk got his third goal. . . . F Deven Sideroff (31) gave Kamloops a 2-1 lead at 19:07 of the second period, with F Rudolfs Balcers (31) adding insurance at 19:39 of the third. . . . The Blazers got two assists from D Joe Gatenby and one from Sideroff. . . . Ferguson improved to 14-9-2, 2.71, .923. . . . The Royals got 33 saves from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . The Royals lost F Jared Dmytriw when he took a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on F Deven Sideroff at 17:19 of the third period. . . . The Blazers (34-18-6) have points in five straight (3-0-2). They are second in the B.C. Division, four points behind the Prince George Cougars, who don’t play this weekend. . . . The Royals (31-22-4) hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, three points ahead of Portland. . . . Announced attendance: 5,853.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Calgary at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Lethbridge vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:10 PM
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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Pats make big splash before deadline . . . Cougars add another top gun . . . More trades


WHL trades since Dec. 27:
Trades: 31.
Players: 55.
Bantam draft picks: 40.
Conditional bantam draft picks: 10.
(WHL trade deadline is Jan. 10, 3 p.m. MT).
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The Regina Pats jumped into the WHL’s trade deadline pool on Tuesday, making like a cannonballer at a Hawaiian resort. They made a deal with the Red Deer Rebels that involved four players, two first-round
bantam draft picks and two conditional selections.
The Pats acquired D Josh Mahura, 18, F Jeff de Wit, 18, and a conditional third-round pick in 2019 for F Lane Zablocki, who turned 18 on Dec. 27, D Dawson Barteaux, 16, a first-round pick in 2017, a first-round pick in 2018 or 2019, and a conditional third-rounder in 2020.
Mahura and de Wit both played for the Rebels last season when they were the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup tournament. The Pats, obviously, are a serious contender for the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions this season and are considered by most observers to be the favourite to be named hosts of the 2018 Memorial Cup.
Thus, any deals the Pats make have to be examined under that light. Were the Pats to win the WHL this season and also be the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup, Mahura and de Wit could play in three straight national championship tournaments.
Keep in mind, too, that the Pats own the WHL rights to D Tyson Jost, who is playing for the U of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Should he end up joining the Pats at some time, and they are hoping he will be in their lineup next season, they will owe a first-round pick to the Everett Silvertips. Should Jost end up in Regina for 2016-17, Red Deer likely would get that 2018 first-rounder, with the 2019 pick going to Everett.
The 6-foot-0, 180-pound Mahura, from St. Albert, Alta., missed all but two games last season with an

injury to his left knee, but that didn’t stop the Anaheim Ducks from selecting him in the third round of the NHL’s 2016 draft. He was injured on the opening weekend of the 2015-16 season and was back in time to play in 17 playoff games and the Memorial Cup.
This season, Mahura had 33 points, including nine goals, in 39 games with the Rebels. In 92 career regular-season games, he has 42 points, 11 of them goals. The Rebels selected him in the second round of the 2013 bantam draft.
De Wit, from Red Deer, had four goals and five assists in 36 games with the Rebels this season, his third in Red Deer. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder had 23 points, seven of them goals, in 70 games. In 174 career games, he has 14 goals and 30 assists.
Zablocki, from Wetaskiwin, Alta., had nine goals and 16 assists in 33 games with the Pats this season. Last season, as a freshman, he had 18 goals and 19 assists in 72 games. The 6-foot-0, 185-pounder was a fifth-round pick by the Prince George Cougars in the 2013 bantam draft. Regina acquired Zablocki in a deal that had F Jesse Gabrielle go to Prince George.
Barteaux was a first-round selection by the Pats in the 2015 bantam draft. From Foxwarren, Man., the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Barteaux will turn 17 on Thursday. He has two assists in 18 games with the Pats this season.
Something else that makes this trade interesting is that the Pats are loading up for a run at perhaps two Memorial Cups, while the Rebels are working to rebuild after making a boatload of moves leading into the 2016 tournament.
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The Prince George Cougars added another top-end player to their roster on Tuesday when they acquired Slovakian F Radovan Bondra, 19, from the Vancouver Giants for Dutch F Bartek Bison, 18, F Tyler Ho, 16, and a third-round pick in the 2018 WHL bantam draft.
Later in the day, the Cougars got F Tanner Wishnowski, 19, from the Spokane Chiefs for a conditional eight-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft.
Bondra was a fifth-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL’s 2015 draft. In 90 career games, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Bondra has 34 goals and 27 assists. This season, he had 19 goals and 12 assists in 32 games with the Giants.
Bondra was to join the Cougars in Red Deer prior to a game with the Rebels on Tuesday. They are to play in Medicine Hat on Wednedsay, Lethbridge on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Bison, who is from Amsterdam, has been sidelined with a concussion since Dec. 3. He had five goals and an assist in 22 games with the Cougars this season, after putting up six goals and nine assists in 56 games last season.
Ho, from North Vancouver, is the key to this deal from the Giants’ perspective. He was a third-round
selection by Prince George in the 2015 bantam draft and has signed a WHL contract. Ho has 14 goals and 21 assists in 26 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
Meanwhile, Wishnowski, from Oakbank, Man., hasn’t played since Nov. 19 due to an undisclosed injury.
He was listed by the Kelowna Rockets in 2013. Last season, he had seven goals and six assists in 54 games with the Rockets. He started this season with Kelowna, scoring once and adding an assist in 10 games, before being dealt to Spokane. In 13 games with the Chiefs, he had two goals and six assists before being injured.
The Cougars are on an Alberta road swing and Wishnowski will join them when they get home on Sunday.
In the past month, the Cougars added three prime-time players in Bondra, Russian F Nikita Popugaev and D Brendan Guhle, giving up six players and five bantam draft picks in the deals.
After putting Wishnowski on their roster, the Cougars were left with a 24-man roster that includes 15 players born in 1996 or 1997.
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The Prince Albert Raiders have acquired F Jordy Stallard, 19, and a seventh-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft from the Calgary Hitmen for F Luke Coleman, 18, and a 2018 fourth-round selection.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Stallard, from Brandon, had eight goals and 19 assists in 32 games with the Hitmen this season. In 158 career games, he has 35 goals and 67 assists. The Hitmen selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 bantam draft. The Winnipeg Jets picked him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2016 draft.
Coleman, from Red Deer, was a fifth-round pick by the Raiders in the 2013 bantam draft. This season, he had seven goals and five assists in 39 games with the Raiders. In 123 career games, he has 21 goals and 21 assists.
Interestingly, the Hitmen are scheduled to visit Prince Albert on Wednesday night.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Branden Klatt, 18, from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a fourth-round pick in the 2018 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2019.
The Warriors also added F Spencer Bast from the Kamloops Blazers for an eighth-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft.
This season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Klatt, who is from Moose Jaw, had four goals and five assists in 41 games with Edmonton. In 85 career games, he put up five goals and 12 assists.
The Oil Kings selected Klatt in the sixth round of the 2013 bantam draft.

Bast, from Macklin, Sask., turned 20 on Jan. 5. A list player, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bast had six goals and five assists in 40 games with the Blazers this season. Last season, in 47 games, he had four goals and eight assists.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:55 PM
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