Hurricanes to stay the course . . . Hockey loses a giant . . . Wenatchee changes leagues

F Konstantin Pushkarev (Calgary, 2004-05) signed a two-year, two-way extension with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). This season, he had nine goals and eight assists in 54 games. . . .
F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-05) signed a one-year contract with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). This season, with the Ravensburg Towerstars (Germany, DEL2), he had 49 points, including 19 goals, in 44 games. . . .
F Justin Kirsch (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 2009-13) signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL), he had one assist in four games. He had one goal in four games with the Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL), and he had seven goals and 18 assists in 31 games with Löwen Frankfurt, which he joined on Dec. 3. Kirsch has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Tomáš Netík (Medicine Hat, 2000-01) signed a one-year contract with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), he had 11 goals and 13 assists in 56 games.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes will remain one of four community-owned teams in the WHL.
Despite pressure from WHL commissioner Ron Robison, who has pushed for shareholders to sell the financially troubled team, those attending a meeting on Monday night voted not to put the team up for sale with the intention of selling to private owners.

I picture the WHL commish sharpening his fangs as the Hurricanes financial numbers hit his desk....

— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) June 2, 2015

The approval of 75 per cent of voters was needed to continue the process towards a possible sale. When the votes were counted, 68 per cent had voted that way.
The vote was done by secret ballot, and not a show of hands.
As Pat Siedlecki, the former radio voice of the Hurricanes and ClearSky Radio’s corporate news director, tweeted immediately after the vote: “With this decision by shareholders tonight, it essentially means the issue of selling the Hurricanes to private owners is now dead.” (Siedlecki’s blog, including a report from last night, is right here.)
Early in May, Robison met with shareholders. According to Paul Kingsmith of Global-TV, Robsion said: “It’s not to say that this community organization can’t get things turned around. But we think, when you look at the franchise moving forward, that private interests would be in the best interest of the club.”
On that visit, Robison met with about 160 shareholders.
Last night, there were 270 shareholders representing 681 shares in attendance.

Interested now to see how the WHL office reacts to Lethbridge shareholders deciding not to sell the team. Hard line coming on more losses?

— Alan Caldwell (@smallatlarge) June 2, 2015

Also from last night’s meeting:
* In search of cash, shareholders voted to sell as many as 2,000 premium shares valued at $1,000 each.
* It was revealed that the Hurricanes have about 1,100 shareholders who hold about 2,500 shares.
* Financials from this season have not yet been audited, so the media in attendance was asked not to report figures. However, it was stressed that the team suffered significant losses this season. “The team is still far from stable,” Kingsmith wrote in a story that is right here. “It has lost more than $1-million over the last five years, with another six-figure deficit from this past season announced to shareholders through unaudited financial numbers.”
* The Hurricanes have sold about 1,650 season-tickets for 2015-16, with the goal set at 2,500. This season, they had about 1,300 season-ticket holders.
* It was revealed that only 20 per cent of shareholders also are season-ticket holders.
The Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos also are owned by community shareholders.
During the Hurricanes' meeting, general manager Peter Anholt told shareholders that he has signed F Jordy Bellerive, who was the second overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft.
Bellerive, from North Vancouver, will be eligible for the NHL’s 2017 draft. This season, he had 49 points, including 34 goals, in 27 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s White Prep team. In his bantam draft season, he had 114 points, 61 of them goals, in 49 games with the North Shore Winter Club’s bantam AAA team. He is the younger brother of F Matt  Bellerive, who played out his junior eligibility this season with the Vancouver Giants.
Meanwhile, it is believed that the Hurricanes will announce the signing of a new head coach on Thursday, at which time they also will reveal more player signings.
A new coach will take over from Anholt, who replaced the fired Drake Berehowsky in mid-season.

That an exec from another WHL team showed up to vote on the Canes' future was embarrassing -- for the Hitmen and the league.

— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) June 2, 2015

Other WHL teams gave the @WHLHurricanes advice already, when they sent Robison here to tell shareholders to sell.

— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) June 2, 2015

Don't get me wrong, Hurricanes shareholders might have made a biiiiig mistake tonight. But it was their mistake to make.

— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) June 2, 2015

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The hockey family took a hit on Monday with the death of Frank McKinnon, who contributed as much to the game as anyone. McKinnon was 81 when he died in Calgary where he had lived for the past few years with

FRANK McKINNON

his wife, Pat. . . . McKinnon, who was named a Member of the Order of Canada in February, was the commissioner of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (1992-2002). He also was a Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association executive for years and years, and served as president for five years. A teacher and principal in Carman, Man., he also was president of the Carman-Dufferin Minor Hockey Association. . . . From a MJHL news release: “He also left his mark beyond Manitoba. As a trustee, he helped create the Centennial Cup (now RBC Cup) in 1971. He was a member of the congress of the International Ice Hockey Federation and part of the committee that organized the first IIHF World Junior Championship in 1974. In 1979, McKinnon became the first chairman of the board of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (now Hockey Canada), a post he would hold until 1982.” . . . He was a recipient of the Gordon Juckes Award, Hockey Canada’s volunteer-of-the-year award and Hockey Canada’s Order of Merit. . . . As well, he served on the boards of the Sports Federation of Canada and the Canadian Olympic Association. . . . McKinnon is a life member of Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Manitoba. He has been inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association Hall of Fame. . . . Beyond all of that, McKinnon was one of the finest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing.
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The Prince George Cougars have signed their first three selections from the WHL’s 2015 bantam draft, with all of them from North Vancouver and off the roster at the North Shore Winter Club. . . . F Jackson Leppard, from North Vancouver, was taken eighth overall. He had 89 points, including 46 goals, this season. . . . D Jonas Harkins, also from North Vancouver, was taken in the second round. He had 12 points, three of them goals, this season. He is the son of Cougars GM Todd Harkins and the brother of Cougars F Jansen Harkins. . . . F Tyler Ho was taken in the third round. He had 87 points, including 30 goals, this season. . . . All three players were key contributors to NSWC’s 2015 Western Canadian bantam AAA championship.
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THE COACHING GAME:

News 1130, a Vancouver radio station, reported Monday morning that the Vancouver Giants “interviewed” former Edmonton Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins “two weeks ago and he has strong interest in the job.” . . . Last month, it was reported that the Giants were courting Ted Nolan, who was fired as the Buffalo Sabres’ head coach when their season ended. . . . Eakins, 48, was in his second season as the Oilers’ head coach when he was fired in December. The Oilers were 36-63-14 during his time there. He had joined the Oilers from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, having done well enough there that he was thought of as a real up-and-comer. . . . Eakins has never coached junior hockey, having moved directly from his playing career into a pro-coaching career. . . . Via text, Eakins, who has two years left on his Oilers contract, told Edmonton Journal hockey writer Jim Matheson: “Just because it’s on Twitter doesn’t mean it’s true.”. . . . It does seem that the Giants again are looking for a ‘name’ coach. Having missed the playoffs two of the last three seasons and not having been out of the first round since 2010, one wonders: Why don’t the Giants hire a young coach who can grow with a young team? Or do fans really buy tickets to watch the head coach perform?
BTW, please feel free to check out our latest poll over there on the right, and vote on who you think will be the next head coach of the Giants.
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It appears as though at least four WHLers will be re-entering the NHL draft after not being signed. . . . F Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants was taken by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, while D Eric Roy of the Brandon Wheat Kings went to the Calgary Flames in the fifth round. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich reported late Monday that the Washington Capitals aren’t likely to sign Winterhawks D Blake Heinrich. He was a fifth-round pick from the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers in 2013. . . . Later, Sepich reported that the Arizona Coyotes had “removed G Brendan Burke from their prospects roster so it appears they didn't sign him and have have forfeited his rights.” . . . Burke was a sixth-round pick. . . . Roy played out his junior eligibility this season; Houck, Heinrich and Burke are eligible to play as 20-year-olds in 2015-16. . . . NHL teams had until June 1 to sign players selected from junior teams in the 2013 draft.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings made it official on Monday — G Alec Dillon has chosen to play for them, rather than go the NCAA route. The Los Angeles Kings selected him in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. Dillon played this season with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, where he was a second-team all-star. The Oil Kings had acquired his rights from the Swift Current Broncos and now will give up a 2016 fourth-round bantam draft pick. . . . Brian Swane of the Edmonton Sun has more right here.
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The BCHL announced Monday that the Wenatchee, Wash., Wild will become its 17th franchise when the 2015-16 season begins play. The announcement was made at a news conference in Wenatchee that apparently was attended by 160 people. . . . The Wild had played in the NAHL since 2008-09. . . . From a BCHL news release: The Wild has had “a winning record in each of its seven seasons of existence and this season had six players on its roster committed to NCAA Div. I programs. Playing out of Wenatchee’s Town Toyota Center, the team averages about 3,000 fans at home games.” . . . Bliss Littler has completed three seasons as the team’s general manager and head coach. He has coached junior hockey for 22 seasons. . . . The Bellingham, Wash., Ice Hawks (1990-95) were the BCHL’s last U.S.-based team. . . . If you are wondering, Wenatchee is 236 miles from Vancouver, B.C., and 642 miles from Prince George, the home of the BCHL’s Spruce Kings. . . . Brian Wiebe has more right here on the Wenatchee announcement.
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The BCHL’s Penticton Vees confirmed Monday that D Dante Fabbro and F Tyson Jost, a pair of potential first-round selections in the NHL’s 2016 draft, will return for their sophomore seasons. . . . The Everett Silvertips took Jost with the seventh overall selection in the 2013 bantam draft. The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Fabbro with the next pick. . . . This season, Jost had 45 points, 23 of them goals, in 46 games and added 10 goals in 21 playoff games. . . . Fabbro had 33 points in 44 games and added 15 points in 21 playoff games.
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In a junior A deal announced Monday, G Christopher Tai, who has WHL experience, had his rights moved from the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express to the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats as the future considerations from an earlier deal. In that deal, made on Oct. 24, the Express acquired Tai from the Bobcats for futures. . . . Yes, Tai has been traded for himself. . . . Tai, a 19-year-old from Delta, B.C., made WHL stops in Lethbridge, Brandon and Medicine Hat (2012-14). . . . The Bobcats are the host team for the 2016 RBC Cup tournament.
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F Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers took a puck to the head in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series. He hasn’t played since. . . . “I couldn't talk for a while,” he told reports on Monday, “had a contusion, some blood in my brain. That affects a lot. Now I go to speech therapy. I'm getting much better. I couldn't say a word for four days. I feel much better.” . . . The Rangers claim Zuccarello didn't suffer a concussion. . . . There’s more right here.
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“Former Blackhawks center and Lightning coach Steve Ludzik is suing the NHL, alleging the league failed to warn him of the significant risk of brain damage during his 10-year career,” writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. “The suit, which was filed Monday by the Chicago law firm Corboy & Demetrio — the same firm representing the estates of former Hawks defenseman Steve Montador and former Bears defensive back Dave Duerson — claims the NHL ‘allowed and encouraged Ludzik, after suffering concussions, to return to play in the same game and/or practice.’ ” . . . Ludzik now suffers with Parkinson’s disease, something he claims is a result of concussion-related issues. . . . Kuc’s story is right here.
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Brandon Wheat King GM-coach Kelly McCrimmon interviewed for a management position (not GM) with TOR last week.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 1, 2015

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

Merry Christmas from the Broncos . . . Big victory for Pats . . . Bizarre night in Kelowna

There are so many third, fourth, fifth, etc., sweaters and uniforms being used in the hockey work now that the novelty has long been lost.
But every once in a while a team is able to come up with something that is kind of neat.
Which brings us to the Swift Current Broncos and the sweaters that will be used on Saturday night, one of which is pictured above.
When the Broncos take to the ice against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, Swift Current will be wearing what perhaps can best be described as Christmas green and red uniforms with a nifty logo -- a bronco with antlers.
Ryan Switzer, the team’s director of communications and digital media, advises that “they will be auctioned off via silent auction during the game with proceeds helping out the inaugural Innovation Credit Union Salvation Army kids Christmas party later this month. The team will be having a get-together with under-privileged families in the area.”
Switzer also points out that for fans unable to attend Saturday’s game, “There is a Dillon Heatherington jersey up for auction online right now on our website.” That website is right here.
And, as you might have guessed if you are familiar with this kind of stuff, the sweaters were designed by former Broncos F Taylor Vause, who has a gift for this sort of thing.
You are able to follow Vause on Twitter (@wizardofvause) or check out some of his NHL-related work right here.
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F Pavel Brendl (Calgary, 1998-2001) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga). Last season, with Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had four assists in six games, and in 14 games with Lausitzer Füchse Weisswasser(Germany, DEL2), he had three goals and 12 assists. . . .
D Justin Kirsch (Calgary, Moose Jaw, 2009-13) has signed a contract for the rest of the season with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL), he had one assist in four games; he also was pointless in one game with the Knoxville Ice Bears (SPHL). Kirsch has dual Canadian-German citizenship. . . .
F Kamil Vávra (Regina, 2003-04) has been released by Šumperk (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). In 29 games, he had five goals and two assist.
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Red Fisher, who covered the Montreal Canadiens for more than 55 years for the Montreal Star and Montreal Gazette, put retirement aside for a while as he remembered the late Jean Beliveau. Fisher’s piece is right here.
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D Tamas Laday of the Spokane Chiefs will play for Hungary in the IIHF U20 World Championship (Division I Group B) later this month. The tournamet is scheduled for Dunaujvaros, Hungary, Dec. 14-20. . . . This will be quite a thrill for Laday as it will take place 50 km from his hometown of Szekesfehervar. . . . Laday, a WHL freshman, has one assist in 21 games with the Chiefs. A year ago, he played for Hungary in the IIHF U20 Division II Group A tournament, scoring twice and adding five assists in five games. . . . Laday is scheduled to leave the Chiefs on Dec. 8 and return for a Dec. 27 game against the visiting Tri-City Americans.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers open a road trip on Friday night against the Silvertips in Everett. Sean Rooney of the Medicine Hat News reports that the Tigers are hopeful that F Markus Eisenschmid will return to their lineup at some point during that trip. Eisenschmid, a 19-year-old German, suffered a broken kneecap when he blocked a shot on Oct. 25 against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. He finished that game and played again on Oct. 28 against the Red Deer Rebels. But he hasn’t played since then. . . . He wants to get back in the lineup, too, because he wants to get some games in before leaving Dec. 17 to join the German team that will play in the World Junior Championship in Toronto and Montreal.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed F Austin Gray, a 17-year-old from Prince George. Gray is playing for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. The Cougars' captain, he has a league-leading 37 points, including 20 goals, in 19 games with the first-place club. It is anticipated that he will finish the season with the Cougars. . . .
Following a 5-2 loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders last night, the Prince George Cougars announced two roster moves. . . . They have signed D Kirk Bear, 19, and added him to their 50-player protected list. . . . They also released Slovakian D Martin Bobos, 19. . . . Bear is pointless in four games; Bobos had one assist in 15 games, after earning seven assists in 67 games last season. . . . The Cougars are carrying 25 players, including 16 forwards and seven defencemen. . . . They are scheduled to meet the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, F Pavel Padakin scored a Teddy Bear goal for the third straight season and the Pats went on to a 4-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Each of the previous two seasons, Padakin scored the Teddy Bear goal in a Calgary Hitmen uniform. He was acquired by the Pats on Sept. 23 and got the goal at 11:21 of the second period. It was his eighth goal this season. . . . F Sam Steel scored twice for the Pats, including an empty-netter. He’s got seven goals. . . . F Peter Quenneville scored both Brandon goals, giving him seven. . . . F Rykr Cole, the pride of Moosomin, Sask., scored his second goal, giving the Pats a 3-1 lead at 6:46 of the third. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, in his eighth straight start, stopped 37 shots. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple turned aside 26 shots in posting his eighth straight victory. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley had a five-game goal streak end. . . . The Wheat Kings were without F Rihards Bukarts for a third straight game, while D Kale Clague remains out with an injury incurred at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Brandon D Mark Matsuba left in the first period after taking a hit from Regina F Dryden Hunt. . . . The Pats (17-10-1) have won four in a row; they are 9-2-0 in their last 11. . . . The Wheat Kings (21-6-2) had been 4-0-1 in their previous five. . . . Brandon is 7-3-1 over its last 11. . . . In the East Division, Brandon leads second-place Regina by nine points. . . . The Pats and Wheat Kings meet again Friday, this time in Brandon. . . .

In Prince George, D Josh Morrissey scored a goal and added two assists to help the Prince Albert Raiders to a 5-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . It was the opening game of the Raiders’ B.C. Division tour that continues Friday in Kamloops. . . . Former Cougars F Jordan Tkatch broke a 1-1 tie with his sixth goal at 10:44 of the second period and F Gage Quinney, with his fifth, made it 3-1 at 19:06. . . . Raiders F Reid Gardiner added insurance with his 15th at 9:30, before Morrissey scored his seventh into an empty net at 18:50. . . . That was Morrissey’s 60th regular-season goal, tying the franchise record that was held by Emanuel Viveiros (1982-86). . . . F David Soltes had a goal, his ninth, and an assist for the Cougars. He has six PP goals. . . . Prince George had F Chase Witala (leg) and D Marc McNulty (undisclosed) back in the lineup. McNulty had missed nine games, while Witala watched for two. . . . The Raiders, who are 7-5-0 under head coach Marc Habscheid, improved to 14-14-0, while the Cougars slipped to 13-15-0. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading sniper, scored twice as the Rockets dumped the Saskatoon Blades, 5-1. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last five goals. . . . Chartier, who is from Saskatoon, has 31 goals. . . . F Nick Merkley had a goal, his ninth, and two assists for Kelowna, while D Madison Bowey drew three assists and D Riley Stadel had two. . . . Chartier also leads the WHL in points (50), one more than Merkley, who is No. 1 in assists (49). . . . In one of the more bizarre moments of this season, the starting goaltenders -- Nik Amundrud of the Blades and Jake Morrissey of the Rockets -- got into a third-period fight at centre ice. They received the only fighting majors during that stoppage in play. The fight happened despite the fact that Amundrud’s backup, Trevor Martin, is fighting a flu bug, while the Rockets had two goaltenders, Jackson Whistle (ill) and Michael Hollinger (injured), unable to play. . . . In fact, the Rockets had an AP on the bench whose name wasn’t on the on-line scoresheet. . . . It turns out it was Sam Bobyn, who, according to Rockets play-by-play man Regan Bartel, became the first Kelowna-born goaltender to play for the Rockets. . . . Morrissey, in his first start on home ice, stopped 20 shots. Bobyn came on at 8:40 of the third, but didn’t face a shot. The Blades were outshot 9-0 in the third period, if the scoresheet is to be believed. . . . The Rockets improved to 23-3-3. . . . The Blades (7-20-2) have lost five in a row (0-4-1), including the first two games on their B.C. Division tour. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix is on the road with the Blades and has a game story right here. . . .

In Everett, F Nikita Scherbak scored twice and added an assist to lead the Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Scherbak broke a 1-1 tie at 13:16 of the second period and added insurance with a PP goal at 17:00 of the third. He’s got 14 goals. . . . Everett D Kevin Davis had two assists. . . . F Adam Helewka scored his 14th goal for the Chiefs. . . . Everett F Ivan Nikolishin scored his eighth goal and added an assist. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 31 shots, 10 more than Spokane’s Tyson Verhelst. . . . Everett took two of the game’s three minor penalties. . . . Everett improved to 17-5-4, while the Chiefs, who have lost two straight, are 14-9-3.
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Beyond excited for my partnership with @DonnellyFord1 huge thanks for setting me up with this beauty! #customtrucks pic.twitter.com/WyFPRRy2CC
— Curtis Lazar (@CurtisLazar95) December 3, 2014

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Pavel Kubina (Moose Jaw, 1996-97) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Genève-Servette (Switzerland, NL A). He had three goals and 12 assists in 69 games with Tampa Bay and Philadelphia last season. Switzerland has a transfer deadline of Feb. 15. Kubina is represented by former Tri-City F Vladimir Vujtek Jr. . . .

F Garrett Festerling (Portland, Regina, 2003-07) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hamburg Freezers (Germany, DEL). He has 12 goals and 21 assists in 43 games for the Freezers this season. Festerling also has made five appearances with the German National Team this season, getting one goal and one assist. Festerling was under contract with Hamburg through the 2013-14 season, so this extension keeps him under contract through the 2014-15 season.
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From the Brandon Sun: “Brandon native and WHL official Matt Kirk has been chosen as a referee for the IIHF men’s world championship, May 3-19 in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland.”
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For an interesting and, I would suggest, accurate look at a ranking of CHL teams, check out this right here. It’s done by Neate Sager of Yahoo! Sports.
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The B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2013 on Tuesday. It includes the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Kamloops Blazers, both of which won the Memorial Cup, and former Blazers F Mark Recchi.
Brad Ziemer of the Vancouver Sun has more right here.
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A couple of interesting items from the Kootenay Ice’s weekly news update. . . . Ryan McGill became the second head coach in franchise history to win 200 regular-season games. He got there with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday. . . . The other Ice head coach with 200 victories? Cory Clouston, with 209. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski has stopped 24 out of 25 shootout attempts this season.
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The matchups if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton vs. Lethbridge
Saskatoon vs. Medicine Hat
Calgary vs. Swift Current
Prince Albert vs Red Deer

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland vs. Seattle
Kelowna vs. Everett
Kamloops vs. Tri-City
Victoria vs. Spokane
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly and F Justin Kirsch each scored twice as the Warriors dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 29 shots. . . . Rielly has nine goals. . . . Kirsch got his 20th of the season into an empty net. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports: “The Warriors were without defenceman Kirk Johnson who has returned home to tend to a personal matter. Fellow defenceman Spencer Morse was out of the lineup due to a coach’s decision.” . . . The Warriors continue to be without G Daniel Wapple (concussion) and have Zachary Sawchenko, who turned 15 on Dec. 30, backing up Paulic. . . . The Warriors are 12 points out of a playoff spot with 15 games to play. . . . The Raiders have lost two straight. East Division leaders for most of this season — that’s worth the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference — the Raiders now are fourth in the conference, and they’re just three points ahead of the fifth-place Red Deer Rebels. . . .

In Regina, F Jacob Doty broke a 3-3 tie at 7:50 of the third period and the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk, in his first game after missing three with a knee injury, had a goal and an assist. . . . Doty’s goal was his 11th; Shinkaruk has 31. . . . The Pats erased a 3-1 third-period deficit on goals by F Marc McCoy at 4:16 and F Morgan Klimchuk, his 28th, just 40 seconds later. . . . Regina, with 15 games remaining, now trails the Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes by 13 points. The Tigers and Hurricanes hold down the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . .

In Saskatoon, the Blades ran their winning streak to nine games with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Blazers F Josh Nicholls forced OT with a goal, his 36th, with 28.8 seconds left in the third period and then got the winner in the circus. . . . The victory lifted the once-struggling Blades into a tie with Prince Albert atop the East Division standings. The Blades hold a game in hand. . . . One supposes there is no more Internet ramblings about yanking the Blades out as the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . F Graham Black had two goals and two assists for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current F Colby Cave gave his guys a 4-3 lead with his 15th goal, shorthanded, at 11:49 of the third. . . . The Broncos erased a 3-1 deficit on goals by F Chance Lund, Black and Cave. . . . Saskatoon F Matej Stransky got his 30th goal and ran his point streak to nine games. . . . Saskatoon F Michael Ferland also has a nine-game streak going. He had an asist last night. . . . Nicholls was the only one of six shooters to score in the shootout. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Victor Rask scored three times as the Calgary Hitmen dumped the Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . Rask has 10 goals. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Brooks Macek had a goal, his 27th, and two assists for Calgary. . . . Calgary scored four goals on eight shots in the second period. . . . Tri-City starter Luke Lee-Knight gave way to Troy Trombley in the second period. Trombley made his second appearance since joining the team after Eric Comrie (hip) was shut down in mid-January. . . . Tri-City has lost three in a row. . . . The Hitmen are 4-0 on a five-game U.S. Division swing that ends tonight in Spokane. . . . Calgary has played its last eight games on the road, going 5-3-0. It returns home Saturday against Victoria.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Evan Morden, Prince Albert
F Braden Christoffer, Regina
F Elgin Pearce, Medicine Hat

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
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From former Red Deer Rebels G Darcy Kuemper (@dkuemps35): “Thank you so much everyone for all the support! What an experience that was tonight, wish we could have pulled out the win tho. #whatarush”
The Minnesota Wild recalled Kuemper, 22, from the AHL’s Houston Aeros and he made his NHL debut last night, going the distance with 28 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Canucks in Vancouver.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

The man started clearing the backlog on his desk on Monday.
Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s hanging judge, handed out 11 games in suspensions to six players.
F Justin Kirsch of the Moose Jaw Warriors got hit the hardest. He drew a four-game suspension for a checking-from-behind major against the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Friday. He sat out Saturday’s game in Swift Current so has three games left to serve. Kirsch hit Swift Currrent D Reece Scarlett, who left the ice on a stretcher and is out week-to-week.
D Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels got a two-game suspension for his headshot on Hitmen F Joe Kornelson in Calgary on Friday. Dumba didn’t play Sunday in Edmonton so has one game left in the suspension.
D Joel Edmundson of the Warriors got hit with two games for fighting off a faceoff against Swift Current on Friday. He, too, has served one game.
F Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades (charging major) and F Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks (cross-checking major) each got one-game suspensions.
Also drawing a one-game suspension was F Zach McPhee of the Everett Silvertips who drew a game misconduct for an unspecified reason against the visiting Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
Meanwhile, D Kale Kessy of the Medicine Hat Tigers drew a ‘tbd’ suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct in a game against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday. He hit Lethbridge D Ryan Pilon, who left the game and didn’t return.
At the same time, there have yet to be suspensions (or the waiving of penalties) for Moose Jaw F Andrew Johnson (charging major), Lethbridge D Spencer Galbraith (headshot major) and Prince George F Jari Erricson (headshot major).
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The Vancouver Giants dealt F Matt Bellerive to the Red Deer Rebels for a third-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Bellerive, a second-round selection by Vancouver in the 2009 draft, left the Giants and requested a trade after being a healthy scratch from two weekend games.
Bellerive, who turns 18 on Dec. 7, had 14 points in 45 games last season.
“He’s a guy who is still a younger player,” Jesse Wallin, Red Deer’s head coach, told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. “We feel he has lots of potential to break out yet. He went through two seasons in Vancouver and from what I understand he left the team out of frustration.
“He’s a guy who we hope can find his way with a fresh start, a new environment. He’s a hard-nosed kid who has some ability as well. He was a good scorer at the bantam and midget levels and we’re hoping that with a change of scenery here and a fresh start that he can start to produce and be a guy who can definitely be a top-six forward for us and provide some offence.”
Bellerive is expected to play for the Rebels on Friday against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.
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JUST NOTES:
The Prince Albert Raiders lost D Zach Hodder, 19, with an apparent shoulder injury on Saturday. If that’s the case, it’s really too bad as Hodder as a history of shoulder problems. He was the 20th overall selection in t he 2008 bantam draft, taken by the Vancouver Giants. He was never able to find a spot there and then made a brief stop last season in Saskatoon with the Blades. Reports out of Prince Albert had him playing quite well. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos have assigned D Zack Gonek, 16, to the midget AAA St. Albert, Alta., Raiders. Gonek, the 13th overall selection in the 2011 bantam draft, got into five exhibition games with the Broncos and had 13 penalty minutes. He had 21 points and 91 penalty minutes with the midget   AA St. Albert Flyers last season. . . .
D Seth Jones of the Portland Winterhawks and D Cody Corbett of the Edmonton Oil Kings will miss weekend WHL games as they travel to Buffalo to play in Saturday’s All-American Prospect Game. There will be 40 of the top American players in the game, with teams coached by Phil Housley and Rob McClanahan. . . . Corbett is on Team Housley, while Jones is on Team McClanahan. . . .
D Antoine Corbin of the Prince Albert Raiders and F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers will be leaving their teams this week and reporting to the training camp of the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Both are 20 years of age so are eligible to sign and play in the AHL.
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Dwight Mullins is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. Mullins (Lethbridge, Calgary, Saskatoon, 1982-88)) spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Central league’s Allen, Texas, Americans. He lost that job when former NHLers Ed Belfour, Craig Ludwig and Mike Modano became involved in the Allen ownership group and hired Steve Martenson as head coach. . . . In Elmira, Mullins replaces Pat Bingham (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89), who stepped down a couple of weeks ago.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Mark Cuban (@mcuban), the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, after watching Monday Night Football from Seattle: “I would love to see what my reaction would be if a Mavs game ended like #MNF. #Expensive #NBAtime”


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On Monday, the busiest man in hockey won’t be NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr or NHL commish Gary Bettman. No, it will be Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s chief disciplinarian.
He will already have spent the weekend watching video. He’ll watch some more on Monday and then he’ll make the phone calls.
After Friday’s games, Doerksen hit four players with ‘tbd’ suspensions. All four are veteran players who play key roles with their teams:
D Joel Edmundson, Moose Jaw, major, fighting off faceoff
F Josh Nicholls, Saskatoon, major, charging
D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer, major, check to head
F Justin Kirsch, Moose Jaw, major, checking from behind
And then along came Saturday’s games and at least four more players can expect to hear from Doerksen:
F Andrew Johnson, Moose Jaw, major, charging
F Kale Kessy, Medicine Hat, major, check to head
D Spencer Galbraith, Lethbridge, major, check to head
F Ty Rattie, Portland, major, cross-checking
Two of those headshot majors — to Kessy and Galbraith — came in the same game.
The first two days of regular-season play also were marred by too many checking-from-behind penalties. Players simply have to stop hitting opposing players in the numbers. Please!
Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News covered Saturday’s game in which the Tigers beat the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-1. After the game he tweeted (@MHND_Steinke): “One day, someone will die due to a concussion from a head hit in hockey in #Canada. National media will jump it. Game changes forever.”
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SOME SATURDAY NOTES:
F Colin Jacobs, an offseason acquisition from the Seattle Thunderbirds, had the season’s first five-point night as the visiting Prince George Cougars beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-0. Jacobs had two goals and finished plus-4. . . . Cougars G Brett Zarowny stopped 25 shots for the shutout. The 17-year-old from Edmonton was appearing in his first WHL regular-season game. . . . Everett was without F Ryan Harrison, who now has three games left on a WHL suspension, while F Manraj Hayer completed a three-game suspension. . . . This game signaled the start of Everett’s 10th anniversary season. . . .
The Kamloops Blazers, down 2-0 with 15 minutes to play in the third period, scored three times and beat the host Kelowna Rockets, 3-2. . . . F Matt Needham got the winner on the PP at 19:27 of the third period. The Blazers were 1-2 on the PP. . . . The announced attendance was 5,562, which is somewhat shocking as the Rockets have drawn more than 6,000 fans per game for the past number of seasons. In fact, the Rockets streak of 283 sellouts came to an end. . . . Kamloops D Tyler Hansen left the game on a stretcher after an innocent-looking collision that resulted him his falling awkwardly to the ice. Hansen, 19, was released from hospital before midnight and returned to Kamloops with goaltender coach Dan De Palma. . . . The Blazers already were without G Cole Cheveldave and D Tyler Bell, both of whom were injured in a 6-5 shootout victory over the Rockets in Kamloops on Friday. . . . Bell and Hansen had been the Blazers’ starting defensive pairing on Friday. . . . Last night, Kamloops G Taran Kozun stopped 27 shots in place of Cheveldave. Ty Hamer-Jackson of the junior B Kamloops Storm was the emergency backup. . . .
The Tri-City Americans had won their last 11 home-openers before falling 5-2 to the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Americans, who were beginning their 25th WHL season, had won five straight home-openers, including two in a row against the Chiefs. . . .
D Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors picked up the first fighting major of his career in a 7-1 loss to the Broncos in Swift Current. It came in his 85th regular-season game. . . . According to the online scoresheet, Rielly didn’t have an opponent as no other penalty was issued. . . . Broncos D Reece Scarlett, who was taken to hospital after absorbing a hit from behind from Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch on Friday, didn’t play Saturday. According to Brad Brown of the Prairie Post, “Scarlett has some soft tissue damage in his neck and hand injuries.” Brown also reported there is no timeline for Scarlett’s return. . . .
 F Zane Jones scored twice to help the host Calgary Hitmen to a 5-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. Jones, 18, was acquired from the Victoria Royals a week ago in a deal that had import F Alex Gogolev, 20, go the other way. . . . Jones also is a nephew of Hockey Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald, who starred for the Calgary Flames. . . . Jones told Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun that he and McDonald have chatted frequently since the deal. “I've talked to him multiple times," Jones said. "He said, ‘Love the game and keep working hard every day you're at the rink.’ "
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JUST NOTES:
Calgary F Calder Brooks, 18, is listed as week-to-week with an upper body injury. It is believed to be a shoulder injury. He had surgery on Friday but was in the rink Saturday as the Hitmen won their home-opener, 5-1, over the Kootenay Ice. . . .
Former WHL player and coach Terry Virtue is the new head coach of the Wheeling Jesuit University Cardinals, who play out Wheeling, W.Va. . . .
The Vancouver Giants have released F Taylor Makin, 20, who is expected to join the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits. That move leaves the Giants with two 20-year-olds – D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen and John Neibrandt. . . . Makin played in Vancouver’s 6-4 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals on Friday night, drawing one assist and a minor penalty.
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Finnish referee Karl-Gustav Kaisla has died at the age of 68. He was the referee for the Miracle on Ice game on Feb. 22, 1980, in which the U.S. defeated Russia 4-3 in the Lake Placid Olympics.
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The NHL has fined the Detroit Red Wings – the sum is believed to be US$250,000 – for comments made by Jim Devellano, their senior vice-president and alternate governor. If you are wondering about those comments, it’s all right here.
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Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times has seen the documentary Head Games. His column is right here.
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Former WHLer Kevin Kraus (@KevinMKraus), GM/head coach of the KIJHL’s Revelstoke Grizzlies: “Worst officiating I have ever seen in junior hockey, apparently you can score on a goalie with no helmet on in double OT #newrule?”
Kraus and his Grizzlies dropped a 6-5 double-overtime decision to the Eagles in Sicamous.


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Think about this for a moment or two . . .
There were 18,890 fans at Rogers Place in Vancouver on Friday night as the Canucks beat the Dallas Stars, 5-2.
There were 7,044 fans at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre to watch the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat beat the Chicago Wolves, 4-3 in overtime. The Wolves, of course, are affiliated with the Canucks.
Meanwhile, there were 6,328 fans at Pacific Coliseum and they saw the Spokane Chiefs beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-1, in Game 5 of their first-round WHL playoff series.
Add it up and that’s 32,262 fans in attendance at three hockey games on B.C.’s Lower Mainland.
In the meantime, there is an arena situated between Vancouver and Abbotsford that seats almost 5,000 seats. In fact, you may remember that Prospera Centre in Chilliwack used to be home to a WHL franchise.
Now what if that franchise was competitive enough that it could forge a rivalry with the Vancouver Giants? What if an established team with a solid track record on and off the ice was to relocate?
What if . . .?
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The AJHL’s St. Albert Steel notified the city on Wednedsay that it has filed a request to the league in the hopes of relocating to Whitecourt. AJHL officials held a conference call regarding the situation on Friday afternoon. . . . Whitecourt is 175 kilometres northwest of St. Albert, which is just northwest of Edmonton. . . . Glenn Cook of the St. Albert Leader reports “the AJHL has struck a committee of six governors, which will convene in Edmonton on Friday, April 6, to address the situation. Both the Steel and the City will have a chance to make a presentation to that committee.” . . . Greg Parks is the owner/GM/head coach of the Steel.
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The Minnesota Wild announced Friday that Everett Silvertips D Josh Caron and Kelowna Rockets F Brett Bulmer will join the AHL’s Houston Aeros. . . . Caron signed with Wild as a free agent prior to the 2010-11 season. Bulmer started this season with the Wild before he was returned to the Rockets.
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES:
(If you want WHL facts and stats, open a Twitter account, if you haven’t already, and follow @WHLFacts)

In Moose Jaw, the Warriors outshot the Regina Pats 14-0 in the first as they scored four times en route to a 5-2 victory. . . . The Warriors won the series 4-1, winning four in a row after losing the opener, and now will meet the Medicine Hat Tigers in Round 2. . . . That series will open Friday in Moose Jaw. The first three playoff games in Mosaic Place were sell outs (4,714). . . . That leaves the Edmonton Oil Kings and Brandon Wheat Kings to go at it in the Eastern Conference’s other semifinal. That series will begin in Edmonton on Friday. . . . Moose Jaw F Justin Kirsch scored 16 seconds into the game and the Warriors were away to the races. . . . F Cam Braes and F James Henry, the two 20-year-olds acquired by the Warriors at the trade deadline, each had two points. Braes drew two assists; Henry had a goal, his second of the series, and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw F Brayden Point, who turned 16 on March 12, had his third goal of the series. His first two were game-winners. . . . The Warriors, who use five forwards on their first PP unit, were 8-for-27 with the man advantage. Regina was 2-for-16. . . . The Pats were without G Matt Hewitt (broken wrist), D Brandon Davidson (separated shoulder), F Andrew Rieder (shoulder) and F Dyson Stevenson (one-game suspension). . . . D Morgan Rielly (knee) remains among Moose Jaw’s scratches. . . . With Hewitt out, the Pats brought in Tanner Burgardt, the 115th pick in the 2010 bantam draft, to back up Adam Beukeboom. Burgardt ws 20-2-1 with the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos this season. . . . The Pats also had D Nathan Zimbaluk in the lineup. He played 15 games with the Pats earlier in the season, before being assigned to the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs. . . . After the game, the head coaches — Regina’s Pat Conacher and Moose Jaw’s Mike Stothers — didn’t shake hands. “My reaction to that is the same reaction I had when they sat guys out in the regular season. I have no reaction to it," Stothers told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post. "I just keep marching ahead and focus on my team and make sure we conduct ourselves professionally.” . . . For his part, Conacher said he couldn’t find Stothers. “I looked for Mike and he walked off the bench so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Conacher told Harder. “I’m not going to chase him down the hallway.” . . .

In Vancouver, F Mitch Holmberg scored twice as the Spokane Chiefs bet the Giants, 5-1. . . . The Chiefs dropped the first two games in this series but now hold a 3-2 edge. This now is the only first-round series that has yet to be decided. Game 6 is Sunday in Spokane. . . . . This was the first time in the series that a visiting team won. . . . F Liam Stewart, at 7:20 of the first period, and F Darren Kramer, at 1:09 of the second, gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. . . . F Brendan Gallagher got Vancouver into it with his fifth of the series at 15:06 of the second, on the PP. . . . The Chiefs put it away with three in the third, the last two just 23 seconds part. Holmberg got his side’s third and fourth goals, giving him five in the series, with F Blake Gal getting the last one. . . . The start of the game was delayed almost 20 minutes by a broken pane of glass in the warmup. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province was paying particular attention in the warmup and tweeted about Kramer chatting up Vancouver F Cain Franson, and then exchanging howdy-dos with D Blake Orban and D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen. . . . Kramer finished the game by being assessed a minor penalty for “leaving penalty box” at 20:00 of the third period. . . . Referees Chris Crich and Trevor Hanson handed out 22 minor penalties. . . . The Giants were 1-6 on the PP; the Chiefs were 1-4. . . . Spokane F Mike Aviani came up empty on a third-period penalty shot with the Chiefs leading 3-1. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams, who has started each of the last three games, stopped 23 shots, four more than Vancouver’s Adam Morrison. . . . The Giants added F Brodyn Nielsen to their lineup while scratching Russian F Alex Kuvaev, who hasn’t scored in 26 games. Nielsen, 18, had one goal in 14 reguar-season games with the Giants. He spent the season with the junior B North Vancouver Wolf Pack.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.

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