The New York Times has more right here.
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Paul Buker of The Oregonian has spoken with Mike Johnston, the suspended general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks.
Early on in the piece, Buker writes:
“Johnston was certainly devastated and shocked by what happened, but he dealt with it, showing the same class and
character that has made him so highly respected in the hockey world.“Johnston remains hopeful he will be able to fully plead his case, and the franchise remains hopeful the penalties will be reduced.
“There has been no comment from the WHL office, which wants to keep the process private.”
Every single person in the WHL, including, I am told, the commissioner, is under a gag order when it comes to Winterhawkgate.
But despite the WHL’s obvious hopes that this whole thing will go away, it isn’t going anywhere. And when hockey people who aren’t involved with the WHL talk about this situation, one thing amazes them more than anything else: There are no grounds for appeal.
And, as Buker points out, Johnston was suspended for the remainder of this season and has yet to be able to “fully plead his case.”
Buker’s piece is right here.
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The Kelowna Rockets revealed yesterday that F Colton Sissons, the team captain, will be out for up to 12 weeks with an “upper body injury” that is believed to be a shoulder problem.Sissons left a 6-2 victory over the Giants in Vancouver on Friday night. He had one arm in a sling at the Rockets’ awards bash on Sunday evening.
Sissons missed 10 games with a concussion earlier in the season, an injury that caused him to miss the Canadian national junior team’s December selection camp in Calgary. The Rockets went 8-2-0 while Sissons was injured.
On Sunday, Sissons was named the team’s MVP and top defensive forward.
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F Michael Ferland, who missed the last five games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, was back on the ice with the Saskatoon Blades on Monday. He is expected to play in Thursday’s opener against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.———
The Prince Albert Raiders have brought in G Nick McBride, 15, for the remainder of their season. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound McBride, a second-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, played for the major midget Vancouver-North East Chiefs, going 12-7-0, 3.74.———
Phil Andrews, the radio voice of the Regina Pats, tweeted Monday evening that F Lane Scheidl of the Regina Pats has signed with the Worcester Sharks, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. . . . Scheidl, 20, is a native of Saskatoon. Despite the fact the Pats didn't qualify for the playoffs, Scheidl had a terrific season, earning 80 points, including 41 goals, in 72 games.———
The Saskatoon Blades have signed three players — F Austin Adamson, F Cameron Hebig and Clayton Kirichenko. . . . Adamson, a list player, spent this season with the major midget Vancouver Canadians. . . . Hebig was the Blades’ first pick in the 2012 bantam draft, taken in the third round, 56th overall. He played with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. . . . Kirichenko, a seventh-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, played the last two seasons with t the midget AAA Sherwood Park, Alta., Kings. He also got into 10 games with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints.
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The WHL’s first-round playoff matchups:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Medicine Hat (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Spokane (4) vs. Tri-City (5)
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Shaw TV will show the first-round Eastern Conference series between the No. 2-seed Saskatoon Blades and No. 7 Medicine Hat Tigers.
You are going to get play-by-play from Dan Russell, with analysis from Bill Wilms. Peter Loubardias will be the rink-side host. Andy Neal will be the host of WHL Central.
Here’s the schedule (all times local):
Game 1, Thursday, at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Game 2, Friday, at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Game 3, Tuesday, March 26, at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Game 4, Wednesday, March 27, at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
x-Game 5, Friday, March 29, at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
x-Game 6, Sunday, March 31, at Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
x-Game 7, Tuesday, April 2, at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
x — if necessary.
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Hunt, D Tye Hand, D Luke Fenske and D Colby Williams all have been out with “upper-body injuries.” Each of the players is believed to be concussed, with Hunt and Williams both out with their second concussions of this season. . . . The Pats have gone over the 300-game mark for man-games lost to injury and illness.
The Everett Silvertips have signed head scout Bil La Forge through the 2014-15 season. La Forge is in his fifth season with Everett and his second as the organizations’s head scout. La Forge, 38, also has worked for the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes. La Forge, who is from Edmonton, is the son of the late Bill La Forge, who was a well-known junior hockey coach and coached in the WHL with the Regina Pats, Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans.
In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin scored three times and added two assists as the Tri-City Americans got past the Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . The victory was the 40th of the season for the Americans, the seventh straight season in which they have done that. That equals the WHL record that is shared by the Kamloops Blazers (1989-96) and Regina Pats (1979-86). . . . The Americans are the only franchise to accomplished it with all seven seasons coming since the institution of the bantam draft. . . . “It’s a pretty special night,” Tri-City GM Bob Tory told me, “considering all the injuries this season. I am very proud of my players and our program.” . . . In reference to Tory, head coach Jim Hiller told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I’m pretty happy for the guy who has done more work than anyone to make it happen.” . . . F Tyler Fraser made his WHL debut with the Americans, the ninth affiliated player to get into their lineup this season. . . . The Ice held a 3-2 lead halfway through the game. . . . Rankin, who got his 30th goal into an empty net, tied the score at 10:13 of the second and F Mitch Messier broke the tie 17 seconds into the third period. . . . Rankin scored at 14:56, before F Jaedon Descheneau got his 25th goal at 18:42. . . . Descheneau also had two assists. . . . Tr-City got a goal and two assists from each of Rankin’s linemates, Brian Williams and F Parker Bowles. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski, who set a single-season franchise record with his 58th appearance on March 1, played in his 61st game. The previous record had been shared by Clayton Pool (1998-99), Jeff Glass (2003-04) and Nathan Lieuwen (2011-12). . . . Tri-City G Troy Trombley stopped 33 shots in running his record to 8-2-0. . . . The Americans remain fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Ice is eighth in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and six ahead of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, who have five games left. . . .
In Kamloops, F Cole Linaker broke a 2-2 tie at 9:15 of the third period to give the Kelowna Rockets a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Linaker has two goals this season. He scored his first on one on Dec. 30 in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . The Blazers, who had won their previous four games, led 2-0 at 6:09 of the first period but didn’t score again. . . . Kamloops F Brendan Ranford scored his 20th goal and it was his 350th career point, leaving him sixth in franchise history. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell, who sat out a game after suffering a leg injury in Kamloops on Sunday, scored his 37th goal. . . . Kamloops continues to be without F Matt Needham, who hasn’t played since Feb. 15. . . . The Rockets can wrap up first place in the B.C. Division with a regulation-time victory over the Blazers tonight in Kelowna. . . . The Rockets, with 100 points, hold a five-point leave and Kamloops has three games remaining. . . . 
In Victoria, F Jack Walker broke a 3-3 tie at 4:26 of the third period as the Royals dropped the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . The Royals had lost their previous 11 games. . . . Walker’s eighth goal of the season came off an assist from his older brother, Ben. . . . F Brandon Magee got his 30th goal for Victoria when he scored shorthanded at 7:36 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Alex Baer, a Minnesota high school star playing in his third WHL game, scored his first goal at 17:00 of the second period, pulling his side into a 3-3 tie. . . . Giants F Cain Franson had his 28th goal and two assists. . . . Victoria got two goals and an assist from Steven Hodges. He’s got 27 goals. . . . The Royals are sixth in the Eastern Conference and appear headed to a first-round matchup with Kamloops. . . .
In Brandon, F Henrik Samuelsson and F Stephane Legault scored in the circus as the Edmonton Oil Kings beat the Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . With the victory, Edmonton clinched its second straight Eastern Conference pennant. . . . Samuelsson was back after serving a two-game WHL suspension. . . . Legault had a goal, his 12th, and an assist in regulation time. . . . Brandon F Tim McGauley scored with 36.7 seconds left in the third period to force OT. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes stopped 43 shots. . . . Edmonton has won five straight; Brandon has lost seven of eight. . . . The Oil Kings, who have four games remaining, have 48 victories, two shy of the franchise’s single-season record. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle, a 15-year-old who left the Minnesota high school ranks and joined the Wheat Kings earlier in the week, wasn’t in the lineup. . . .
In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls scored two shorthanded goals and added an assist as the Blades dropped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Nicholls has 44 goals. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first four goals. . . . F Boston Leier scored twice for the Tigers, giving him 17. . . . Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov turned aside 40 shots. . . . The Blades will win the East Division pennant and are one point behind the Calgary Hitmen, who are second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference. The teams are reseeded by points after the first round. . . .
In Moose Jaw, Swift Current F Adam Lowry scored two first-period goals and the Broncos beat the Warriors, 2-1. . . . Lowry’s second goal, at 15:58, was his 200th career point. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon drew two assists. . . . Moose Jaw G Justin Paulic stopped 17 shots in his 22nd consecutive start. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen turned aside 25 shots. . . . 
In Regina, the Pats scored six times in the second period and dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-2. . . . F Lane Scheidl scored twice for Regina, giving him 37. . . . Regina F Mogan Klimchuk scored his 35th goal. . . . Regina G Matt Hewitt stopped 28 shots. . . . Although he didn’t play last night, the Pats have added D Sean Whelan to their roster. He had been with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers and their season is over. . . . The Raiders, who have lost four in a row, can finish no higher than fifth in the Eastern Conference. They now are three points ahead of Swift Current. . . . Regina, which won’t make the playoffs, has won four of five. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Tyson Ness scored twice to help the Rebels to a 4-2 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Rhyse Dieno scored his 27th goal for the Rebels. . . . Ness has 17 goals. . . . F Brady Ramsay scored his 12th goal of the season for Lethbridge. He last scored on Jan. 1. He went 23 games between goals. . . . The Hurricanes were without F Graham Hood, their captain, who drew a two-game suspension for a hit on D Devan Fafard of the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night. . . . The Rebels, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, will have home-ice advantage in the first round. They have three games remaining and are five points Calgary, which has yet to play five games. . . .
In Spokane, the Chiefs erased a 2-0 deficit and beat the Everett Silvertips, 6-3. . . . F Alessio Bertaggia scored three times and added an assist for the Chiefs. Bertaggia, who completed the hat trick into an empty, net, has 26 goals. . . . Everett F Brayden Low scored his first WHL goal in his 44th game. The 18-year-old from Richmond, B.C., has played in 39 games this season. He played five games with the Portland Winterhawks over the previous two seasons. . . . Everett held 2-0 and 3-2 leads. . . . Bertaggia tied it at 17:51 of the second and broke the tie at 6”30 of the third on the PP. . . . Everett F Josh Winquist scored twice, giving him 23. . . . The Chiefs are fifth in the Western Conference, a point behind Tri-City. . . . Everett is eighth, three points behind Seattle and four ahead of Everett. . . . Seattle and Everett each has four games remaining; Prince George has six games left. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Jake Mykitiuk scored in the circus to give the Prince George Cougars a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . D Taylor Green got his second goal of the season for Seattle, via the PP, at 15:30 of the first. . . . Cougars F Troy Bourke tied it with his 14th at 4:42 of the second. . . . Mykitiuk scored in the fifth round of the shootout. . . . The Thunderbirds are seventh in the Western Conference, three points ahead of Everett.
D Tomas Mojzis (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 2000-03) signed a one-year contract extension with Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). Mojzis was acquired by Slovan in mid-January from Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL) and the contract extension keeps him with Slovan through the end
In Swift Current, G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 35 shots in recording his first WHL shutout as the Broncos dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 3-0. . . . F Adam Lowry’s 34th goal, at 9:43 of the first period, stood up as the winner. . . . Broncos D Brett Lernout scored his first WHL goal in his 44th game, 24 of which have been played this season. . . . The Broncos closed to within two points of the sixth-place Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference. . . . 
In Cranbrook, G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 25 shots to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-0 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Skapski has five shutouts this season. . . . The Ice has won 10 in a row at home. . . . F Collin Shirley’s eighth goal, at 15:05 of the first period, was the winner. . . . He also had an assist. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau assisted on the game’s first two goals. . . . The Ice now is within one point of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hold won the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . 
In Kamloops, F JC Lipon scored twice and added two assists as the Blazers dumped the Red Deer Rebels, 5-3. . . . Lipon broke a 2-2 tie with his 30th goal of the season at 11:38 of the second period. . . . F Brendan Ranford added his 15th goal and two assists for Kamloops, which has won four in a row overall and six straight at home. . . . The Rebels went 2-1-0 on a road swing on which they played three games in four nights — in Prince George, Kent, Wash., and Kamloops, in that order. . . . “For the trip being the way it was for us . . . it was a tough trip as far as the travel,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ GM/head coach, said, “we were stil right there right to the end.” . . . The Rebels are fifth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Saskatoon. . . . The Blazers, third in the Western Conference, are five points behind B.C. Division-leading Kelowna. The teams will play Friday in Kamloops and Saturday in Kelowna. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Nic Petan scored three second-period goals as the Portland Winterhawks dropped the Rockets, 5-1. . . . On Friday, the Winterhawks had beaten the Rockets 5-3 to end Kelowna’s home-ice winning streak at 23 games, one shy of the franchise record. . . . Portland now holds a six-point lead on the idle Edmonton Oil Kings atop the overall standings. . . . The Rockets went into the weekend within five points of the Winterhawks, who lead the overall standings. The Rockets now are nine points back and, at the same time, the B.C. Division leaders are only five points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers. The Rockets and Blazers go home-and-home on Friday and Saturday, starting in Kamloops. . . . Petan’s third goal made him the first WHLer to 40 this season. He also leads in points, with 98. . . . F Ty Rattie had a goal his 31st, and three assists for Portland, with F Brendan Leipsic adding his 39th goal and two helpers. Leipsic has 97 points. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stoped 31 shots, losing his shutout when F Colton Sissons scored at 13:01 of the third. . . . The Rockets left after the game for Everett, where they’ll play the Silvertips tonight. . . .
In Prince George, F Jakob Stukel scored his first WHL goal in his fourth game and it stood as the winner as the Vancouver Giants beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . Stukel, a second-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, plays for the major midget Valley West Hawks. . . . His goal broke a 1-1 tie at 14:47 of the second period. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houk was unsuccessful on a first-period penalty shot attempt with his side down 1-0. . . . Prince George G Mac Engel stopped 32 shots, nine more than Vancouver’s Payton Lee. . . . G Ty Edmonds, 16, picked up his first WHL victory on Friday when the Cougars beat the Giants, 6-4. He was a ninth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. According to the Cougars, he is the first 16-year-old goaltender to win a game for them since Chris Mason in 1993-94. . . . The Cougars are ninth in the Western Conference, two points behind the eighth-place Seattle Thunderbirds. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Victor Rask’s PP goal just 46 seconds into OT gave the Calgary Hitmen a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent). . . . The game was delayed in OT after a shot by Calgary D Alex Roach resulted in a broken pane of glass. Roach then drew an assist on the winner. . . . That was the only time all game that Calgary held a lead. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester, playing his 300th regular-season game, forced OT with his second goal, and 30th of the season, at 16:27 of the third. . . . Calgary’s Mike Williamson was behind the bench for his 800th game as a WHL head coach. . . . F Brooks Macek had a goal, his 26th, and two assists for Calgary. . . . Rask has seven goals this season. . . . F Adam Kambeitz had given Seattle a 3-2 lead with his 12th goal at 10:27 of the third on a PP. . . . Calgary appears destined for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. . . . The loser point moved Seattle to within three points of sixth-place Everett in the Western Conference. . . . 
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was assigned to Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga) by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL) for the rest of this season. He has one goal in 13 games for Slovan and 10 goals and three assists in 18 games for Skalica this season. . . .
F Parker Stanfield (Prince George, Everett, 2007-11) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had six goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) this season. . . .
F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Zvolan (Slovakia, Extraliga) after obtaining his release from Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had six goals and 11 assists in 40 games with Most this season.
of violations of WHL Regulations.”
are wearing new and different sweaters. Here’s how Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix described the sweaters as “featuring navy blue, royal blue and grey strips and a stylized ‘Blades’ logo where the ‘L’ is a hockey stick.” . . . These sweaters are the result of a contest in which fans were asked for design ideas. . . . Nugent-Bowman reports that there were 113 entries. Those were whittled down to five and then put to a fan vote. . . . The winning design is from Fabio Burà of Switzerland.
Bliss Littler, the head coach of the NAHL’s Wentchee Wild, has drawn a five-game suspension and assistant coach Chris Clark is gone indefinitely. That is the fallout from Clark’s turn as a blindman during a recent game in Wenatchee.
In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly drew four assists as the Warriors doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 8-4. . . . The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, with F Curtis Valk scoring three times for the Tires, two of them on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw emerged with a 5-3 lead. . . . Valk has 32 goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Bryson Gore, who went into the game with 10 points, had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . The Warriors now have won four of five. . . .
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