Showing posts with label Lane Bauer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lane Bauer. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Defending champs near elimination . . . Hitmen can't solve Steel . . . Hart blanks Royals


F Thomas Raffl (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2005-06) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, he had 26 goals and 24 assists in 43 games. . . .
D Mike Card (Kelowna, 2002-06) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). In 52 games this season, he had five goals and 22 assists. . . .
F Clarke Breitkreuz (Regina, Prince George, 2008-10) has signed a one-year extension with Löwen Frankfurt (Germany, DEL2). This season, in 52 games, he had 16 goals and 12 assists. . . .
F Brent Raedeke (Edmonton, Brandon, 2007-10) has signed a three-year extension with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 52 games this season. . . .
F Joel Broda (Tri-City, Moose Jaw, Calgary, 2004-10) has signed a one-year extension with Linz (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 53 games, he had 28 goals and 20 assists. . . .
F Ondrej Vesely (Portland, Tri-City, 1996-98) has signed a one-year extension with Zlin (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had four goals and nine assists in 45 games this season, while serving as an alternate captain. . . .
F Kevin Sundher (Chilliwack/Victoria, Brandon, 2007-12) has signed a one-year extension with Olomouc (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal and one assist in 10 games there this season. He started the season with the Reading Royals (ECHL), putting up five goals and 12 assists in 32 games. He signed with Olomouc on Feb. 2. . . .
F Thomas Raffl (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2005-06) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 53 games, he had 26 goals and 24 assists. . . .
D Layne Viveiros (Portland, 2011-15) has signed a one-year extension with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had nine goals and 13 assists in 54 games this season.
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The OHL came down on the Windsor Spitfires for comments and actions following their Sunday loss to the host London Knights.
You may have read or seen clips of Rocky Thompson, Windsor’s head coach, ripping into the referees and also accusing the Knights of diving.
From an OHL release that was issued Tuesday:
“It is the position of the league that the post-game media comments made by . . . Rocky Thompson were most inappropriate and detrimental to the welfare of the league.  As a result of his comments, and the Spitfires’ Twitter post including such comments which is not consistent with the league’s social media policy, the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club is fined $7,500.
“In addition, Windsor Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel has been sanctioned by the league for certain actions including violating league policy concerning interaction with on-ice officials before, during, and after the game. The league reserves finalizing any further disciplinary action against Mr. Rychel and the Spitfires pending a hearing to be held on Friday, March 31.”
Last night, the host Spitfires posted a 3-1 victory over the Knights to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in Windsor, with Game 5 in London on Friday.
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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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TUESDAY GAMES:


At Swift Current, F Thomas Foster scored twice to help the Moose Jaw Warriors  to a 4-3 victory over the
THOMAS FOSTER
Broncos. . . . Foster celebrated his 21st birthday by scoring his second and third goals of the series. . . . The Warriors now hold a 2-1 lead, with Game 4 in Swift Current tonight. . . . D Colby Sissons gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 6:49 of the first period. . . . The Warriors took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals by F Brayden Burke (2), at 2:16, and Foster, at 11:18. . . . The Broncos pulled even when F Glenn Gawdin (2) scored at 8:15. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs (1) got the Warriors back into the lead at 15:34 of the third period, and Foster upped the lead to 4-2 at 18:34. . . . The Warriors got back to within a goal when F Ryley Lindgren scored, on a PP, at 19:31. . . . D Josh Brook and D Matt Sozanski each had two assists for Moose Jaw. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for the Broncos, with Gawdin adding one to his goal. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 32 shots, six fewer than Swift Current’s Jordan Papirny. . . . The Broncos were 1-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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At Dauphin, Man., the Medicine Hat Tigers scored four third-period goals and beat the Brandon Wheat
DAVID QUENNEVILLE
Kings, 6-2. . . . The Tigers lead the series, 3-0, and get their first opportunity to eliminate the WHL’s defending champions tonight in Dauphin’s Credit Union Place. . . . The Wheat Kings had to take their first-round games on the road because the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has taken over the Keystone Centre complex. . . . The Tigers got the only goal of the first period when F Steve Owre scored at 7:13. . . . Brandon F Ben McCartney, a 15-year-old from Macdonald, Man., tied it with his first WHL goal at 3:41 of the second period. He was a second-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . Medicine Hat got that one back at 5:42, with F John Dahlstrom scoring his third goal in as many games. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke (2) pulled his guys even, on a PP, at 6:50. . . . The Tigers went back out front at 4:12 of the third period, with F Mark Rassell getting his fourth goal of the series, on a PP. . . . F Chad Butcher added insurance at 5:49, and F Ryan Jevne and D David Quenneville, into an empty net, closed it out. . . . Quenneville also drew three assists, with Owre and Butcher earning one each. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 27 shots in his third straight playoff complete game for the Tigers. . . . Brandon got 41 saves from G Logan Thompson. . . . Brandon was 1-3 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-6. . . . The Wheat Kings were without injured F Nolan Patrick for a third straight game. . . . Medicine Hat scratched injured D Brad Forrest. . . . Announced attendance: 1,912. The arena has 1,763 seats.
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At Calgary, F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring champion, torched the Hitmen for three goals, leading the
SAM STEEL
Regina Pats to a 5-2 victory. . . . Regina, with a 15-5 edge in goals, leads the series, 3-0, and can end it Thursday night in Calgary. . . . Steel has nine points, four of them goals, in the first three games of this series. He had a goal and four assists in Regina’s 5-1 home-ice victory in Game 2 on Saturday. . . . Steel now leads the playoff scoring race with nine points, one more than D David Quenneville of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Steel gave Regina a 2-0 with first-period goals at 1:02 and 9:31. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan increased the lead to 3-0, on a PP, at 19:57. . . . F Dawson Leedahl scored his third goal of the series, on a PP, at 16:59 of the second period. . . . Steel completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal, at 4:16 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen got third-period goals from F Matteo Gennaro (1), on a PP, and F Luke Coleman (1). . . . The Pats got two assists from D Connor Hobbs, with Leedahl adding one to his goal. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown had a solid night, with 41 saves and an assist on what turned out to be the winning goal. . . . The Hitmen got 30 saves from G Kyle Dumba. . . . Calgary held a 16-11 edge in second-period shots, and it was 17-10 in the third. . . . Regina was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-6. . . . The Pats had F Jeff de Wit back after a one-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 6,736.
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At Kamloops, the Blazers broke a 1-1 tie with two goals 28 seconds apart in the second period as they
JERMAINE LOEWEN
skated to a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelowna holds a 2-1 edge in the series, with Game 4 in Kamloops tonight. . . . There were five WHL playoff games on Tuesday night and Kamloops was the only home team to post a victory. . . . F Lane Bauer opened the scoring for Kamloops at 8:06 of the first period. . . . The Rockets tied it when F Kole Lind scored his first WHL playoff goal at 16:28. He was playing in his 26th career post-season game. . . . The Blazers took advantage of a shoddy Kelowna change to take a 2-1 lead at 12:10, the goal coming from F Jermaine Loewen as he finished off a 3-on-2 break. Loewen, a fan favourite in Kamloops, was the most effective player in this one as he wreaked havoc with his physical play and constantly got under the skin of the visitors. . . . Just 28 seconds later, Blazers F Rudolfs Balcers split the defensive pairing of Cal Foote and Gordie Ballhorn, who put on a hook that resulted in a penalty shot. Balcers beat G Michael Herringer to the glove side for a 3-1 lead. It was Balcers’ first playoff goal. . . . Bauer’s second goal, at 18:07, provided a 4-1 edge. . . . Balcers also added an assist to his goal. . . . The last time Kamloops had a penalty shot goal in a playoff game was on April 14, 2012, when F Tim Bozon scored in a 7-2 victory over the host Portland Winterhawks. . . . G Connor Ingram stopped 37 shots in a solid night for Kamloops. . . . Herringer was good, too, with 34 saves. . . . Kelowna was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-5. . . . Things got heated late in the third period, with the two coaching staffs exchanging words. . . . Kamloops F Luc Smith was injured in the second-last game of the regular season and has yet to play in this series. . . . Announced attendance: 3,878. . . . Prior to the game, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, presented WHL Milestone Awards to Blazers trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson and Kamloops head coach Don Hay. Robinson worked his 1,500th game as a WHL trainer earlier this season, while Hay recorded his 700th victory as a WHL head coach.
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At Victoria, G Carter Hart stopped 25 shots to help the Everett Silvertips to a 2-0 victory over the Royals. .
CARTER HART
. . Everett took a 2-1 lead in the series with Game 4 scheduled for tonight in Victoria. . . . Hart has two career shutouts, one this season and one a year ago. . . . The Silvertips scored both their goals via the PP. . . . F Patrick Bajkov counted his third goal of the series 22 seconds into the second period. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (1) added the insurance goal at 17:37 of the second. . . . F Dominic Zwerger drew two assists. . . . The Royals got 19 stops from G Griffen Outhouse. . . . Everett was 2-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . The Royals scratched F Jack Walker, who had two goals and two assists through the first two games. They remain without D Scott Walford. . . . Everett continues to be without F Riley Sutter and F Devon Skoleski, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . Announced attendance: 4,790.
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WEDNESDAY GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
Seattle vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 2-0)
Prince George at Portland, 7 p.m. (Series tied, 1-1)
Moose Jaw at Swift Current, 7 p.m. (Moose Jaw leads, 2-1)
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon, at Dauphin, Man., 7:30 p.m. (Medicine Hat leads, 3-0)
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m. (Kelowna leads, 2-1)
Everett at Victoria, 7:05 p.m. (Everett leads, 2-1)

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:20 AM
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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Bestwick: WHL team guaranteed if vote is YES ... Red-hot Ingram blanks Oil Kings ... Rebels end drought


F J.T. Barnett (Vancouver, Kamloops, Everett, Kelowna, 2008-13) has been released by mutual agreement by Timrå (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He was pointless in two games there. Earlier this season, he was pointless in one game with CSKA Moscow (Russia, KHL), had seven goals and three assists in 24 games with CSKA farm team Zvezda Chekhov (Russia, Vysshaya Liga); and was pointless in three games with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia, KHL). . . .
G Ville Kolppanen (Lethbridge, 2009-10) has been released by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (Russia, KHL). In 30 games, he was 2.18 and .917 SP. Kolppanen had one year left on his contract with Nizhnekamsk and was one of 10 Nizhnekamsk players released Tuesday. . . . The KHL regular season ended Sunday and Nizhnekamsk finished out of the playoffs.
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 Bill Bestwick, a Nanaimo city councillor, has told a local newspaper that the Vancouver Island city will have a WHL franchise if taxpayers vote YES for a new arena in a March 11 referendum.
According to Greg Sakaki of the Nanaimo News Bulletin, Bestwick told the newspaper that the arrival of a WHL franchise is a “100 per cent” certainty if the vote is yes.
Here is the question that is being asked via the referendum:
“Are you in favour of the City of Nanaimo Council adopting Loan Authorization Bylaw 2017 No. 7237 which will authorize Council to borrow a sum not exceeding $80,000,000, repayable over a period of no more than 20 years, for the development and construction of an event centre that will include an ice arena and other related entertainment, cultural and recreation facilities?”
Sakaki writes:
“Coun. Bill Bestwick told the News Bulletin last week that it’s a ‘100 per cent’ certainty that the WHL will be coming to town if the referendum passes. Hockey hasn’t been a major talking point, however, because the municipality can’t reveal details of the league’s dealings with a privately owned club, reportedly the Cranbrook-based Kootenay Ice. Kim Fowler, Nanaimo’s chief sustainability officer, said that the WHL was leading those negotiations and that the city was working on a memorandum of understanding with the league.”
Bestwick is a longtime former BCHL coach who spent 12 seasons (1999-2012) as GM/head coach of the Nanaimo Clippers. These days, he is a part-time amateur scout for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.
When Sakaki asked for a response from the WHL, he got a prepared statement from commissioner Ron Robison, stating that “should the City of Nanaimo approve the construction of a new facility which meets WHL standards, the WHL will seek the necessary approvals to deliver a WHL team either through relocation of an existing franchise or expansion.”
It has been common knowledge for a while now that the Ice will end up playing out of the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo next season should the referendum pass. A WHL team likely would spend three seasons in the 3,000-seat facility, with a new building expected to be ready for 2019-20.
Taking Note was told last month that the WHL is preparing two schedules for 2016-17 — one of those features 22 teams, including Nanaimo; the other features the same 22 cities that are in the league today.
The arrival of a WHL franchise would result in the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers relocating. The Clippers play out of the Frank Crane Arena.
Sakaki’s complete story is right here.
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The Kamloops Blazers had all of their coaches on hand Tuesday night as they skated to a 7-0 victory over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings.
By the start of the third period, only goaltending coach Dan De Palma wasn’t behind the Kamloops
bench.
The Blazers start home games with head coach Don Hay and lead assistant Mike Needham at the bench. Terry Bangen, a veteran coach, joins them to start the second period.
Chris Murray, who played with the Blazers before going on to skate in the NHL, is a local firefighter who also is on the Kamloops coaching staff. When he isn’t at work, he joins the others behind the bench for the third period.
When Murray isn’t available, De Palma frequently spends the third period at the bench.
Which leads us to this question: Is there another team in junior hockey that sometimes has four coaches at the bench?
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D Luke Gallagher has been added to the Spokane Chiefs’ roster for the remainder of this season. Gallagher, 16, is from Mead, Wash., and had been playing for the junior B Spokane Braves of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He had 37 points, including 13 goals, in 45 games with the Braves. . . Prior to that, he spent two seasons at the EDGE school in Calgary. . . . He was selected by the Chiefs in the eighth round of the 2015 WHL bantam draft. . . . The Chiefs now are carrying three 2000-born defencemen, with Gallagher joining Ty Smith, a first-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and Matt Leduc, who was selected in the second round.
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The WHL has suspended F Kolby Johnson of the Prince Albert Raiders for three games after he took a charging major and game misconduct for a hit on F Orrin Centazzo of the visiting Everett Silvertips on Friday night. Everett won the game, 3-1. . . . Centazzo didn’t play in a 3-2 OT victory over the Broncos in Swift Current on Saturday. He is listed as having an upper-body injury and being out month-to-month on the WHL roster report that was released Tuesday. . . . Johnson has served two games of that suspension and will miss Friday’s game against the host Saskatoon Blades. He will be eligible to return for the rematch on Saturday in Prince Albert. . . . The Raiders also were fined $500 “for inadequate security at officials’ exit” during that game against Everett. You are left to speculate which member, or members, of the Raiders organization stopped to say “Howdy” to the officials after the game.
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The Saskatoon Blades have returned F Tyler Lees to the midget AAA Regina Pats Canadians. Lees, 16, has one goal in seven games with the Blades this season. He played four games with the Blades last week, scoring his first WHL goal on Saturday in a 6-2 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Lees was a fifth-round selection by the Blades in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . The Blades also have brought in Payton McIsaac, 16, to serve as their seventh defenceman for now. He had been playing for the midget AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers, whose season has ended. From Fort Saskatchewan, he was a second-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
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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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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, the Blazers scored three first-period goals in a span of 3:07 en route to a 7-0 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . G Connor Ingram was rarely tested in a 23-save shutout. He has posted
LANE BAUER
back-to-back shutouts — he has been beaten once in his last three starts — and now has five blank jobs this season. The franchise single-season record is seven (Dustin Butler, 2006-07). . . . Ingram has 12 career shutouts, three off Devan Dubnyk’s franchise record. . . . Ingram’s GAA this season now is at 2.10. The franchise record (2.31) was set by Kenric Exner, who made 51 appearances in 1998-99. . . . With the Kelowna Rockets in Kamloops on Friday, Ingram is riding a shutout streak of 178:07. . . . F Lane Bauer, who was acquired from the Oil Kings, along with a seventh-round pick in the 2017 WHL bantam draft, for D Conner McDonald, burned his former team for two goals. . . . Bauer opened the scoring at 4:46, with F Deven Sideroff counting at 5:27 and F Collin Shirley getting No. 25 at 7:53. . . . The Blazers added three more goals in the second period, as D Ondrej Vala got his 10th, F Rudolfs Balcers scoed his 35th and Bauer got No. 35. . . . Sideroff, playing in his 200th game with Kamloops, got his second of the game, and 33rd of the season, at 6:39 of the third. . . . Shirley, Balcers and Sideroff had an assist apiece. . . . Edmonton started G Patrick Dea, who surrendered six goals on 26 shots over two periods. Josh Dechaine came on for the third period and stopped six of seven shots. . . . Ingram also picked up his second career assist. He got the first one on Feb. 8 in a 6-0 victory over the visiting Rockets. That was his 146th regular-season game; last night was No. 151. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Blazers (37-19-6) have won three in a row. They are second in the B.C. Division, one point behind Prince George. . . . The Oil Kings (20-35-5) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They are nine points out of a playoff spot with 12 games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 3,474.
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At Medicine Hat, F Brett Howden scored three times and added an assist to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . The game was tied eight minutes into the second period when the
BRETT HOWDEN
Warriors erupted for three straight goals. . . . F John Dahlstrom (24) have the hosts a 1-0 lead at 9:08 of the first period, only to have F Thomas Foster (16) tied it, on a PP, at 11:26. . . . Howden put the visitors out front at 3:10 of the second period, with F Mason Shaw (23) getting the Tigers into a tie, on a PP, at 7:19. . . . The Warriors went out front when F Branden Klatt scored his sixth goal, at 9:17, and took a 4-2 lead on F Justin Almeida’s eighth goal, at 13:59. . . . Howden scored 12 seconds into the third period, stretching the lead to 5-2. . . . F Josh Williams scored his first WHL goal at 3:28 to get the Tigers to within two. . . . Williams, who turns 16 on March 8, was playing his fourth game. From Langley, B.C., he was the fifth overall pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. . . . Howden completed his second career hat trick with his 33rd goal of the season at 15:22. . . . Moose Jaw got two assists from each of F Tanner Jeannot, F Jayden Halbgewachs and F Yan Khomenko, with Klatt adding one to his goal. . . . F Matt Bradley had two assists for the Tigers. . . . G Zach Sawchenko stopped 19 shots for Moose Jaw, while G Michael Bullion blocked 31 at the other end. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-1 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 1-3. . . . Medicine Hat dressed only 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . The Tigers, who have been fighting an outbreak of mumps, got back Dahlstrom and F Zach Fischer, but had to scratch F James Hamblin. Still out are D Kristians Rubins, D Jordan Henderson and F Ryan Chyzowski. As well, D David Quenneville and D Ty Schultz continue to rehab broken legs. Quenneville, who has been practising, may return when the Tigers meet the host Calgary Hitmen on Friday. . . . The Warriors continue to play without F Noah Gregor and F Brayden Burke. . . . The Warriors (35-17-8) have won three in a row. They are second in the East Division, eight points ahead of Swift Current. The Broncos hold two games in hand. . . . The Tigers (42-18-1) lead the Central Division by six points over Lethbridge, with the Hurricanes having two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 3,354.
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At Prince George, F Brandon Hagel scored the only goal of a shootout to give the Red Deer Rebels a 3-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . Hagel was the first skater to shoot and his goal stood up as the winner. . . .
BRANDON HAGEL
The Cougars took a 1-0 lead when F Radovan Bondra scored his 28th goal, at 7:56 of the first period. . . . Red Deer tied it on D Jared Freadrich’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 7:04 of the second period. . . . The Cougars went back out front on F Kody McDonald’s 13th goal, at 17:16. . . . Red Deer forced OT when F Lane Zablocki (21) scored at 3:26 of the third period. . . . Freadrich and Hagel added an assist each. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 36 shots through OT and was perfect in the shootout. . . . The Cougars got 22 saves from Ty Edmonds. . . . Red Deer was 1-6 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . D Cole Moberg, 16, played his fourth game of the season with the Cougars. He plays for the major midget Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . F Michael Spacek (ill) was among Red Deer’s scratches. . . . The Rebels went 1-3-1 on a five-game swing that involved three stops in the U.S. Division, along with games in Langley, B.C., and Prince George. . . . Red Deer (24-27-10) had lost its previous eight games (0-6-2). It is third in the Central Division, four points up on Calgary. The Hitmen have three games in hand. . . . The Rebels and Hitmen will play Saturday in Red Deer and Sunday in Calgary. . . . Prince George has lost three in a row (0-2-1). The loser point from this one kept it atop the B.C. Division, by a single point over Kamloops. Each has played 62 games. . . . Announced attendance: 2,580.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Brandon at Calgary, 11 a.m. (BE BRAVE anti-bullying game)
Edmonton at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Portland vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:33 PM
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Sunday, January 29, 2017

Gervais shows improvement ... Milestones for Daum, Thibodeau ... Four-spots for Duke, Soy


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BREVIN GERVAIS
There was some good news on Sunday from the bedside of Brevin Gervais, the 17-year-old defenceman from the junior B 100 Mile House Wranglers, who underwent emergency surgery for a brain aneurysm in Kamloops on Friday.
Mateo Albinati, who started the gofundme site with proceeds to Brevin’s family, posted that “Brevin has slowly begun breathing on his own. Although it is minimal, it is a step in the right direction, and he now has opened his eyes on command and squeezed hands. His blood pressure has increased, which also is a very good sign.”
Friends and folks in the hockey community responded in such a fashion that Albinati shut down the gofundme site on Sunday evening, by which time donations had totalled $20,350. His original goal was $16,000.
Well done and thank you! Please keep Brevin and his family in your thoughts and prayers as this chapter of their lives has just begun.
A native of Prince George, Brevin was a fourth-round selection by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2015 bantam draft.
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The Everett Silvertips have added F Cal Babych, who turned 20 on Jan. 18, to their roster. While he was listed earlier this season by Everett, he had been with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express. Everett will be Babych’s fifth WHL stop. He split 152 career games between the Calgary Hitmen, Prince George Cougars, Prince Albert Raiders and Vancouver Giants, putting up 35 points, including 15 goals. With the Express, he had seven goals and 21 assists in 33 games. . . . He made his Everett debut in Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the visiting Kamloops Blazers.
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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

 When Mary Lois Nittmo went looking for the ex-husband who ran out on her and their four children 12 years ago, Tim Graham of the Buffalo News accompanied her. They found Bjorn Nittmo, a Swede who is a former NFL and CFL kicker, but what they discovered wasn’t pretty. . . . Graham’s story is right here.
Meanwhile, in Houston, the site of Sunday’s Super Bowl game, a news conference is to be held today by a support group that calls itself Faces of CTE. In attendance will be co-founders Cyndy Feaser and Kimberly Archie. Feaser, whose ex-husband Grant Feasel was an offensive lineman who was diagnosed with Stage 3 CTE after his death, has written the book After the Cheering Stops: An NFL Wife’s Story of Concussions, Loss and the Faith That Saw Her Through.
Archie’s son Paul was 24 when he died from the effects of CTE caused by playing football.
The brain bank at Boston University has confirmed CTE in the brains of 91 of 95 deceased NFLers. Dr. Ann McKee, who has been in the forefront of all of this, admits she has stopped watching NFL games despite having been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers.
“I, for one, don’t watch football anymore because I can’t,” she told Jeff Caplan of the Kansas City Star. “I can no longer sort of reconcile what I’m seeing at my work and watching the game on television. It’s been a long road, and it’s depressing. It’s very depressing.” . . . Caplan’s complete story is right here. Yes, it’s depressing.
Meanwhile, in the world of hockey, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman continues to deny a link between repeated blows to the head and CTE.
And in the WHL the powers-that-be continue to allow teenagers to punch each other in the face with no apparent thought given to the consequences.
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JUST NOTES:

A note from a reader informs us that the Red Deer Rebels had some special moments on Saturday night as they honoured three people who have been with them for 25 years, or since Day 1.
Judy Seher, the Rebels’ billet co-ordinator, and off-ice officials Carl Purves and Jim Hollman were saluted at centre ice prior to the game. They were presented with 25-year watches . . . first-class people honoured by a solid organization.
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Coaching

 Rob Daum of EHC Linz has become the winningest head coach in Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga (EBEL). Daum put up victory No. 235 on Sunday, as the Black Wings beat the visiting Vienna Capitals, 5-3, allowing him to move out of a tie with Pierre Pagé. Daum, in his sixth season with EHC Linz, is a former WHL coach, having worked with the Prince Albert Raiders, Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes (1989-95).
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Gord Thibodeau, the head coach of the Whitecourt Wolverines, has tied the AJHL record for most regular-season coaching victories. When the Wolverines beat the host Bonnyville Pontiacs, 4-3, on Sunday, it gave Thibodeau 832 victories, tying him with Don Phelps, the long-time (1979-2011) head coach of the Calgary Canucks. . . . Thibodeau has been an AJHL head coach since 1997 and also has worked with the Lloydminster Blazers, St. Albert Saints, Fort McMurray Oil Barons and Lloydminster Bobcats. He is in his first season with the Wolverines.
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The AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons fired general manager and head coach Brian Curran on Sunday. He was in the fifth year of a contract that was to expire after this season. A former AJHL coach of the year, Curran took the Dragons to the South Division championship in 2013-14. . . . Assistant coach Darryl Olsen has stepped in as interim head coach. . . . The Dragons (20-23-4) are sixth in the six-team South Division, 11 points out of fifth.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Reid Duke scored four times to lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-1 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Duke, a Calgarian who has 30 goals, scored the game’s first three goals, recording his fifth
REID DUKE
career hat trick and his second against the Hitmen this season. . . . He scored at 2:55 and 8:23 of the first period, 11:02 of the second and nine seconds into the third. Duke’s first goal came via the PP, while the third one was shorthanded. . . . F Tyler Coulter earned assists on three of Duke’s goals. . . . F Connor Gutenberg also had three assists. . . . F Beck Malenstyn scored for Calgary, his PP goal at 11:24 of the second period cutting the deficit to 3-1. He’s got 21 goals. . . . D James Shearer (6), who also had an assist, and D Dmitry Osipov (2) also scored for Brandon, which lost D Kale Clague to a charging major and game misconduct at 10:06 of the second period. That was for a hit on Malenstyn. . . . G Travis Child stopped 31 shots for Brandon. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed four goals on 14 shots through two periods. Kyle Dumba played the third period, stopped six of eight shots. . . . Each team was 1-6 on the PP. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-19-5) had lost their previous two games. They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot but the defending champions are just five points behind the Swift Current Broncos in the East Division. . . . The Hitmen (18-22-9) had points in each of their previous four games (1-0-3). This was their third game in fewer than 48 hours; they went 1-1-1. Calgary is one point behind the Saskatoon Blades, who are in possession of the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,913.
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At Edmonton, G Ty Edmonds turned aside 26 shots to help the Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 victory
TY EDMONDS
over the Oil Kings. . . . The Cougars had won, 11-3, in Edmonton on Saturday night. . . . Edmonds now has 95 career regular-season victories, tying the Prince George franchise record that was held by Scott Myers (1996-2000). . . . This was Edmonds’ 26th victory this season. . . . F Aaron Boyd (7) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 3:33 of the first period. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Davis Koch scored his 13th goal — it was his 100th career point — at 14:49. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins broke the tie with his 16th goal at 4:50 of the second period. . . . D Brendan Guhle added insurance with his 12th goal just 15 seconds later. . . . Guhle and Boyd each added an assist. . . . The Oil Kings got 34 saves from G Patrick Dea. . . . Each team was 0-4 on the PP. . . . The Cougars (36-14-3) have won two in a row. They are alone atop the overall standings, two points ahead of the Regina Pats, who hold six games in hand. . . . The Oil Kings (18-28-4) have lost 11 straight games and are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Both teams were playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. The Cougars went 2-1-0; the Oil Kings went 0-3-0. . . . Announced attendance: 6,827.
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At Everett, G Dylan Ferguson stopped 37 shots and F Lane Bauer had two goals as the Kamloops
LANE BAUER
Blazers skated to a 5-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Bauer, who has 29 shots. broke a 1-1 tie 25 seconds into the second period as the Blazers took control with three goals in a span of 4:27. . . . F Deven Sideroff (28) had given Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 10:34 of the first period. . . . Everett F Connor Dewar (10) tied it 11 seconds into the second period. . . . Bauer broke that tie just 14 seconds later. . . . F Nick Chyzowski’s 14th goal upped the Blazers’ lead to 3-1 at 3:54 and Bauer made it 4-1, while shorthanded, at 4:52. . . . Kamloops F Quinn Benjafield added more insurance with an empty-net goal at 11:37 of the third period. Yes, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine had his goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker with more than eight minutes to play. . . . F Garrett Pilon had two assists for the Blazers. . . . Bauer has 13 points, including four goals, in 10 games with Kamloops since coming over in a deal with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Everett G Mario Petit was beaten three times on 17 shots in 23:54. Carter Hart came off the bench to stop 10 of 11 shots in 35:25. . . . Kamloops was 0-2 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . Kamloops (31-17-3) has won two in a row. It is second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Silvertips (30-9-9) have lost four in a row (0-3-1). They lead the U.S. Division by six points over the Tri-City Americans. Everett has five games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,089.
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At Kent, Wash., F Ryan Gropp and F Keegan Kolesar each enjoyed four-point outings as the Seattle Thunderbirds dumped the Tri-City Americans, 5-1. . . . The hosts scored the game’s first four goals to
RYAN GROPP
lead 4-0 before the second period was six minutes old. . . . Gropp, who finished with two goals and two assists, got it started 29 seconds into the first period. . . . Kolesar, who had a goal and three assists, made it 2-0 with No. 10 at 5:12. . . . F Mathew Barzal got his seventh goal at 4:17 of the second period and F Alexander True made it 4-0, on a PP, at 5:39. He’s got 16 goals. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu scored his 14th goal, on a PP, at 10:16. . . . Gropp scored his 13th goal into an empty net at 16:52 of the third period. . . . Seattle got two assists from D Austin Strand, while Barzal had one helper. . . . Americans D Parker Wotherspoon recorded one assist, the 133rd of his career. That gave him the franchise’s career record for most assists by a defenceman, with one more than Tyler Schmidt (2006-11). . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 19 shots, 15 fewer than Tri-City’s Beck Warm. . . . Seattle was 1-3 on the PP; Tri-City was 1-4. . . . The Thunderbirds (29-15-4) have won five in a row. They are third in the U.S. Division, one point behind Tri-City and with five games in hand. . . . The Americans (30-20-3) are six points behind the Everett Silvertips. . . . Each team was playing for the third time in fewer than 48 hours. That included Seattle’s 4-3 victory over host Tri-City on Friday. Seattle went 3-0-0 in the triple header weekend; the Americans were 1-2-0. . . . Announced attendance: 4,098.
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At Swift Current, the Prince Albert Raiders scored three PP goals to beat the Broncos, 3-2. . . . The third
MAX MARTIN
of those goals, from D Max Martin, snapped a 2-2 tie with 6.7 seconds left in the third period. Martin has six goals. . . . F Cavin Leth gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead with his 16th goal at 3:13 of the first period. . . . Leth is a Cy Young candidate with 16 goals and three assists in 44 games with Prince Albert since moving over from the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . He has goals in four of his last five games, including four in his last three outings. . . . F Kaden Elder (10) scored on a PP at 11:53 to get the Broncos even, and F Arthur Miller (6) counted at 11:46 of the second period for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Raiders tied it on F Curtis Miske’s 11th goal at 9:07 of the third period. . . . Martin and Miske also had an assist each. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 27 shots to earn the victory over Jordan Papirny, who made 29 saves. . . . The Raiders were 3-7 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-3. . . . F Logan Barlage, the fourth overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft, played his second game of the season with the Broncos. He turned 16 on Jan. 7. . . . While the Raiders were playing their third game in fewer than 48 hours — they went 2-1-0 — the Broncos hadn’t played since the previous Sunday when they dropped a 6-3 decision to the host Saskatoon Blades. . . . Prince Albert (13-35-5) has won two straight. The Raiders remain in the WHL cellar but now are just one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Broncos (25-17-8) have dropped four in a row and remain third in the East Division. . . . Announced attendance: 2,106.
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At Victoria, F Tyler Soy scored four times and added an assist to lead the Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Royals swept the triple header weekend from the Giants, having won 3-1 in
TYLER SOY
Langley, B.C., on Friday and 7-1 in Victoria on Saturday. . . . F Jack Flaman’s 12th goal 49 seconds into the game gave the Giants a 1-0 lead on Sunday. . . . The Royals took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Scott Walford (5) at 6:07 and Soy at 14:01. . . . Walford has goals in four straight games. . . . Vancouver tied it at 3:50 of the second period as F James Malm scored. . . . Soy, who has 24 goals, then scored three straight goals as the Royals took control. All three came via the PP — at 6:03 and 17:12 of the second period and 16 seconds into the third. . . . Victoria F Carter Folk added his fifth goal, on a PP, at 7:32 of the third period. . . . Malm closed out the scoring with his 17th goal, on a PP, at 10:39. . . . Soy, a 19-year-old from Cloverdale, B.C., has 50 points in 37 games. In his past eight games, he has scored seven times and added 10 assists. He is the third player in Royals history with a four-goal game, joining F Kevin Sundher (Oct. 29, 2011) and F Brandon Magee (Jan. 25, 2013). . . . F Matt Phillips, F Dante Hannoun, D Chaz Reddekopp and F Vladimir Bobylev each had two assists for Victoria. . . . The Giants got two assists from F Calvin Spencer. . . . D Ryan Gagnon, the Royals’ captain, played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . The Royals got 22 saves from Dylan Myskiw, who picked up his first career victory. Myskiw, who was injured before Christmas, was making his first appearance since Dec. 17 and only his second since Nov. 30. . . . G Griffen Outhouse had started the Royals’ previous 23 games as he set a franchise record. . . . Vancouver G Ryan Kubic stopped 36 shots. . . . Victoria was 4-10 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . The Royals (29-19-4) have won three straight games. They are third in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Giants (17-30-4) have lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 5,866.
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MONDAY’S GAME (all times local):

Regina at Saskatoon, 11:30 a.m.

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Saturday, January 21, 2017

Take finances with grain of salt? ... Phillips fills hat again ... Milestone for Clouston as Tigers win


F Chris Langkow (Spokane, Saskatoon, Everett, 2005-10) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga), he had 10 goals and 18 assists in 41 games. He was granted his release for financial reasons this week. . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) has signed with Preussen Berlin (Germany, Oberliga). He had been on a tryout with Schönheide (Germany, Oberliga) in November. In four games, he had a goal and two assists.
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Like many of us, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has looked over the financial information involving OHL and WHL teams that was released by the CHL on Thursday.
And what did he think?
“In an effort to get out in front of the story and win the case in the court of public opinion,” Campbell writes, “the Canadian Hockey League . . . released some of the financial information it had previously been trying to keep from the prying eyes of everyone outside its inner circle. It’s a curious move to say the least. And when you look at the numbers, you get the sense that the CHL is cherry picking on the same level as an out-of-shape beer leaguer who constantly hangs out at the opponent’s blueline.
“The CHL has crafted its message, complete with an expert opinion saying teams would have to consider ceasing operations if they had to pay players minimum wage, giving people just enough information to portray themselves as downtrodden philanthropists interested only in providing entertainment and helping young men realize their NHL dreams, without really telling us where the money trail actually leads. Well played.”
The releasing of these figures is part of the CHL’s attempts to neutralize attempts by around 370 present and former players to get the OK to move forward with class-action lawsuits in Alberta and Ontario aimed at forcing the major junior leagues to pay minimum wage, among other things.
“The WHL claimed revenues of just over $80 million in 2015,” Campbell notes. “The cost to pay the players minimum wage in that league would be about $300,000 per year per team for a total cost of about $6.6 million, which would amount to about 8.25 percent of total revenues.
“What business in any part of the real world would be able to claim revenues of more than $136 million, then try to convince people that it couldn’t afford to pay 850 of its employees minimum wage? Welcome to the world of junior hockey where it seems no matter how much money a team makes, its expenses seem to rise at the same rate. How the heck are these people ever expected to make a go of it?”
Campbell’s complete piece is right here. 
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Coaching Game
The ECHL’s Quad City Mallards have fired general manager/head coach Terry Ruskowski, who was in his fifth season on the job. Phil Axtell, an assistant coach for two years, was named interim head coach, while the search for a full-time head coach gets started. . . . The Mallards were 19-16-2 and in fourth place in the seven-team Central Division at the time of the firing. However, they had lost six of their past seven games. . . . The Mallards were 160-122-31 under Ruskowski. . . . "I was shocked a little bit because we were still over .500," Ruskowski told Bobby Metcalf of the Quad-City Times. "We played the last three weeks really shorthanded with guys out of the lineup, guys called up, I was trying to patch things together until everybody got healthy. I think I would have probably understood if we had a full lineup and were semi-successful, I probably would have understood more but it was their decision. They hired me and I appreciate what they've done for me the last four to five years." . . . Ruskowski, 62, is from Prince Albert. He played three sesaons (1971-74) with the Swift Current Broncos before going on to a 15-year professional career in the WHA and NHL. He also spent two seasons (1989-91) in the WHL as the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Matt Phillips, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, scored three times and
MATT PHILLIPS
added an assist to help the Victoria Royals to a 7-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Phillips, who has 35 goals, had scored three goals on Thursday night as the Royals beat the host Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-3. He was a sixth-round pick by the Flames in the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Last night, the Royals jumped out to a 4-0 lead. F Vladimir Bobylev had a goal, his fifth, and two assists in that outburst, while Phillips scored twice and F Regan Nagy got No. 13. . . . F Beck Malenstyn (19) got the Hitmen on the scoreboard with a PP goal, at 5:01 of the second. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (9) and D Ralph Jarratt (1) counted for Victoria at 7:14 of the second and 9:57 of the third period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro got his 26th for Calgary at 15:20. . . . Phillips completed his fifth career hat trick and third this season at 16:51. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy had three assists, giving him seven in two games, while Bobylev also finished with three helpers. Reddekopp added one. . . . Gennaro and Malenstyn had an assist each. . . . The Royals got 25 saves from G Griffen Outhouse, who won for the 26th time. That ties him with Nick Schneider of the Medicine Hat Tigers for the WHL lead. . . . Calgary starter Kyle Dumba allowed five goals on 16 shots in 27:14, with Trevor Martin coming on to play 32:46 and stop 13 of 15 shots. . . . Calgary was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . The Royals (26-18-4) have won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (17-21-6) has won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 7,243.
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At Everett, G Carter Hart stopped 33 shots as the Silvertips beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 1-0. . . . Hart
CARTER HART
posted his WHL-leading sixth shutout of the season and the 16th of his career. He was especially busy in the third period when the Thunderbirds held a 16-4 edge in shots. . . . The game’s lone goal came from F Orrin Centazzo, who scored No. 4, on a PP, at 9:14 of the first period. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 13 shots. . . . Everett was 1-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Silvertips had F Dominic Zwerger among their scratches, while Seattle continues without F Scott Eansor. . . . The Silvertips have added F Ethan Browne, 15, to their roster. He had been playing for the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. Everett selected Browne in the first round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Browne, who is from Sherwood Park, has 23 points, including seven goals, in 23 games with the Kings. Browne wasn’t in the lineup for this one. . . . The Silvertips (29-6-8) are second in the overall standings, two points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds (24-15-6) had won their previous six games. They are third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Thunderbirds were fined $500 for a warm-up violation on Tuesday prior to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 6,867.
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At Kamloops, F Lane Bauer scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give the Blazers a 4-3 victory over
LANE BAUER
the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 33 shots through OT and made four more saves in the shootout. . . . Kamloops took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Garrett Pilon (11), at 1:21, and F Nic Holowko (3), at 10:31. . . . Portland tied it in the second period when D Keoni Texeira (9) scored at 6:48 and F Joachim Blichfeld got his 13th, at 8:22, on a PP. . . . Kamloops went back out front on F Rudolfs Balcers’ 25th goal, at 8:42. . . . The Winterhawks forced OT when F Colton Veloso (11) counted at 3:11 of the third period. . . . D Dallas Valentine had two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Cody Glass was outstanding for Portland and drew two assists. . . . G Cole Kehler, who was acquired from the Blazers prior to the season, stopped 30 shots. . . . Portland was 1-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-5. . . . The Winterhawks welcomed back D Caleb Jones and F Cody Glass, both of whom had been ill. . . . Kamloops (28-16-3) has won three in a row. It is second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Portland (22-20-3) has lost four in a row (0-2-2), but still holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Winterhawks were fined $500 for “actions of team member” at Prince George on Wednesday. . . . Announced attendance: 3,630.
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At Prince George, G Zach Sawchenko stopped 34 shots to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 2-1 victory
ZACH SAWCHENKO
over the Cougars. . . . Sawchenko turned aside all 12 shots he faced in the first period and all 14 in the third. . . . The game’s three goals came in a span of 3:47 in the second period. . . . F Spencer Bast (7) opened the scoring for Moose Jaw at 7:04. . . . F Brett Howden’s 24th goal, on a PP, at 9:32, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . F Colby McAuley (16) scored for the Cougars at 10:51. . . . The Cougars got 20 saves from G Ty Edmonds. . . .  Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Prince George was 0-2. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle of the Cougars sat this one out as he completed a three-game suspension. D Sam Ruopp is still out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The game drew a sellout crowd with a 50/50 promotion. Canadian Tire started it off with $25,000 and by draw time the total was $123,851, meaning one fan won $61,425. . . . The Warriors (28-12-7) went 3-2-0 in the B.C. Division. They wind up a six-game road trip in Edmonton on Sunday. Moose Jaw is second in the East Division, two points behind the Regina Pats, who hold five games in hand, and five ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Cougars (33-13-2) had won their previous five games. They lead the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,896.
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At Red Deer, D Brayden Pachal scored on a PP at 14:51 of the third period to give the Prince Albert
BRAYDEN PACHAL
Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . The victory allowed the Raiders to snap an 11-game losing streak (0-8-3). . . . Pachal’s first goal of the season came in his sixth game with the Raiders since being acquired from the Victoria Royals. He went into the game with one career goal in 80 regular-season games. . . . F Jordy Stallard’s 12th goal gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at 5:03 of the first period. . . . The Rebels took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals from F Michael Spacek and F Evan Polei, each of whom scored his 20th goal. Spacek scored at 1:37, with Polei counting on a PP at 8:47. . . . The Raiders tied it when F Parker Kelly scored his eighth goal at 18:03 of the second period. . . . Stallard also had two assists, with Kelly getting one. . . . Spacek added an assist to his goal. . . . Prince Albert G Nic Sanders blocked 40 shots to earn his first victory with the Raiders. He had been 0-9-3 since being acquired from the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 13. . . . Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen stopped 24 shots. . . . Prince Albert was 1-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-5. . . . The Raiders continue to play without F Simon Stransky, F Tim Vanstone and F Drew Warkentine, all out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Raiders now are 9-34-5. . . . The Rebels (20-20-7) have lost four straight (0-3-1), but still are a comfortable third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,800.
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At Regina, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s first three goals and the last three as they beat the
STEVE OWRE
Pats, 8-5. . . . The Tigers (31-15-1) lead the Central Division; the Pats (29-6-7) are atop the East Division. . . . Medicine Hat got first-period goals from F Steve Owre, at 5:31, F Mark Rassell, at 10:03, and Rassell, again, at 11:14. Rassell has 20 goals. . . . Regina came back with PP goals from F Dawson Leedahl, at 14:22, and F Adam Brooks (25), at 18:54. . . . F John Dahlstrom restored Medicine Hat’s three-goal lead at 1:51 of the second period, but Regina’s Sam Steel (33) got that one back at 2:36. . . . Dahlstrom, who has 21 goals, scored again at 17:33 and the Tigers took a 5-3 lead into the third period. . . . Regina tied it on goals from F Jeff de Wit (6), at 4:57, and Leedahl (21), at 6:00. . . . Owre broke the tie with his 17th goal, at 8:44, and F Zach Fischer added two insurance goals, at 15:01 and 16:57. . . . Fischer has 26 goals. . . . Owre also had two assists, as did D Clayton Kirichenko, while F Chad Butcher drew three of them. . . . Steel added three assists for Regina, with D Dawson Davidson getting two. . . . Steel leads the WHL with 80 points, four more than Brooks. . . . Medicine Hat started with Nick Schneider in goal, but he left after giving up three goals on 13 shots in 22:36. Michael Bullion came on to get the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots. . . . The Pats got 25 saves from G Max Paddock, who lost for the first time in four decisions. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . These two teams have combined for 34 goals in three games — the Pats won 8-5 and 6-2 in Medicine Hat. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Saskatoon, F Josh Paterson’s shootout goal gave the Blades a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat
LOGAN FLODELL
Kings. . . . F Reid Duke scored for Brandon the first round of the skills competition, with F Jesse Shynkaruk tying it in the third round. Paterson scored in the fifth round. . . . The Blades got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Braylon Shmyr (25), at 7:32 of the first period, and F Caleb Fantillo (4), at 14:31 of the second. . . . F Stelio Mattheos scored his 16th goal, on a PP, at 4:08 of the third period to get Brandon to within one. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it with G Logan Thompson on the bench for the extra attacker as F Tanner Kaspick scored his 15th goal, at 18:57. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick missed a couple of shifts in the first period after taking an unpenalized hit from Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik. Patrick drew an assist on each Brandon goal. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 32 shots for the Blades. . . . Thompson made 32 saves for the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon was 1-5 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-2. . . . The Blades (19-22-6) have won four in a row and are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, five points behind Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings (22-17-5) had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 3,126.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Parker AuCoin had two goals and two assists to help the Tri-City Americans to a 7-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Tri-City led 4-0 at the game’s halfway mark. . . . AuCoin scored 41
PARKER AuCOIN
seconds into the first period to get it started. D Juuso Valimaki (13) made it 2-0 at 12:08. . . . F Brett Leason’s second goal of the season ran the lead to 3-0 at 3:35 of the second period and F Kyle Olson (11) upped it to 4-0 at 9:55. . . . Kootenay got on the scoreboard when F Brett Davis (10) counted at 14:30. . . . Tri-City answered that with two more goals, from F Nolan Yaremko (5) at 15:46 and F Morgan Geekie (26) at 18:59. . . . The Ice made a game of it by scoring the next three goals. . . . F Reed Morison (1) scored at 19:25 of the second period, with F Austin Wellsby scoring the next two, at 1:21 and 10:06. He’s got six goals. . . . AuCoin added insurance with his 17th at 15:38. . . . Yaremko and D Parker Wotherspoon each had two assists, with Olson, Geekie and Leason adding one apiece. . . . F Jake Elmer and D Dallas Hines each had two assists for the Ice. . . . Wotherspoon now has 130 career assists, moving him into second place on the Americans’ career list among defenceman. He passed Darrell Hay (128) on Friday night and now trails only Tyler Schmidt, who recorded 132 over five seasons (2006-11). . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou blocked 25 shots. . . . Ice starter Payton Lee gave up four goals on 12 shots in 29:55. Jakob Walter came on in relief and stopped 10 of 13 shots in 30:05. . . . The Ice was 1-1 on the PP; the Americans were 0-2. . . . The game featured a brother act — F Peyton Krebs of the Ice and D Dakota Krebs of the Americans — and both were in the starting lineups. Their sister, Maddison, a country music artist, also was in the house and handled both anthems. . . . The Krebs family is from Okotoks, Alta. . . . The Americans (29-17-3) have won seven in a row and are second in the U.S. Division. This was the Americans’ first home game since they completed a 6-0-0 run through the East Division. . . . The Ice is 11-28-8. . . . Announced attendance: 3,543.
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At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning broke a 4-4 tie at 16:35 of the third period as the Vancouver Giants beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-4. . . . Ronning’s 19th goal of the season was his second of the game. . . . The
JAMES MALM
Giants held 2-0 and 4-1 leads. . . . First-period goals from F Tristyn DeRoose (1), at 9:23, and F Brayden Watts (6), on a PP, at 16:22, provided the 2-0 lead. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf cut it to 2-1 at 18:36. . . . The Giants went up 4-2 on second-period goals from F James Malm (15), at 4:17, and Ronning, at 10:18. . . . The Malm goal actually was an own-goal scored by Kelowna F Carsen Twarynski, who hit the vacated net with a pass intended for a point man who wasn’t there while there was a delayed penalty being signalled against the Giants. . . . The Rockets then got goals from D Cal Foote (5), shorthanded, at 12:28 of the second and F Kyle Topping (9), just 1:05 later, to get to within one. . . . The Rockets tied it when F Rod Southam scored his 10th goal, on a PP, at 7:15 of the third period. . . . Malm added three assists to his goal, with Watts getting one. . . . Malm, a 17-year-old from Langley, had two assists in 25 games last season. This season, he’s got 15 goals and 22 assists in 43 games. . . . Foote had an assist for Kelowna. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 32 shots to earn the victory over Brodan Salmond, who blocked 20. . . . Kelowna was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-6. . . . The Giants had F Dawson Holt (shoulder) and F Johnny Wesley (shoulder) back in their lineup after 13-game absences, but still are missing D Darian Skeoch and F Tyler Benson. Skeoch missed his 16th game; Benson missed his eighth straight game. . . . F Dillon Dube and F Reid Gardiner were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . Vancouver (17-26-3) had lost its previous six games and is 10 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Kelowna (26-17-4) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) and is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Announced attendance: 4,366.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Medicine Hat at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Prince Albert at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Teddy Bear Game)
Kootenay at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:26 AM
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