Virtanen back for Game 5 . . . Portland signs D-man . . . Chaos in NBL

F Brent Raedeke (Edmonton, Brandon, 2007-10) signed a two-year contract with Adler Mannheim (Germany, DEL). He is a dual Canadian-German citizen. This season, with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany, DEL), he had 13 goals and 23 assists in 52 games. . . .
D Gerhard Unterluggauer (Brandon, 1995-97) signed a one-year extension with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, in 48 games, he had six goals and 22 assists. He was named Austria Hockey Superstar of the Year for the second season in a row.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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The Calgary Hitmen will have F Jake Virtanen back in their lineup tonight as they meet the Wheat Kings in Brandon. Virtanen sat out the past three games with a suspension. The Wheat Kings lead the Eastern Conference final, 3-1. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this story right here for the Calgary Herald.
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Caleb Jones, 17, the younger brother of Nashville Predators D Seth Jones, who also played in Portland. . . . This season, Caleb put up 24 points, including six goals, in 65 games with the USNTDP’s U-18 team. He was part of the U.S. team that won the IIHF U-18 world championship last weekend in Switzerland. He had five assists in seven games. . . . The Winterhawks selected the 6-foot-0, 190-pounder in the third round of the 2012 bantam draft. He is eligible for the NHL’s 2015 draft.
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The National Basketball League of Canada was to have crowned a champion on Thursday night when the Windsor Express played host to the Halifax Rainmen in Game 7 of the championship series. Instead, there was a punchup during the morning shootaround and the Rainmen went home. Seriously. You can’t make up stuff like this. Morris Dalla Costa of the London Free Press has more right here.

After saying there would be an investigation @NBLCanada is now saying @HalifaxRainmen defaulted and @WindsorXpress are champs. What a joke

— Morris Dallacosta (@MoDaCoatLFPress) May 1, 2015

The @NBLCanada named new executive after the forfeited game between @WindsorXpress and @HalifaxRainmen. The executive, Curley, Larry and Moe

— Morris Dallacosta (@MoDaCoatLFPress) May 1, 2015

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F Bryan Moore broke a 2-2 tie at 12:55 of the third period and the visiting Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds went on to a 4-2 victory over the Erie Otters in an OHL semifinal series. The Otters lead the series 3-2 as they head to the Soo for Game 6 on Saturday night. . . . Erie F Connor McDavid had one assist, as he ran his playoff point streak to 14 games. Yes, he has at least one point in each game this spring. McDavid has 37 points, 18 of them goals, in 14 games. . . . The other semifinal, between the North Bay Battalion and Oshawa Generals, is 2-2. They’ll play Game 5 tonight in Oshawa and Game 6 on Sunday in North Bay. . . .
The QMJHL final between the Quebec Remparts and Rimouski Oceanic will open with games Tuesday and Friday in Rimouski. . . . The Remparts are the host team for the Memorial Cup, so both teams will play in the championship tournament.
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The Sauer brothers — Kurt, Michael and Craig — all were pro athletes and each of them was forced out of his chosen sport by brain injuries. If you’re a WHL fan, you may remember Kurt when he was a defenceman with the Spokane Chiefs. At the time, 1999-2002, he was as good a defenceman as there was in the WHL. . . . There’s more right here on the Sauer brothers and the involvement of a sister as they strive to regain some sense of normalcy to their lives.
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THE COACHING GAME:

Jeff Daniels won’t be returning as head coach of the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes announced Thursday that Daniels’ contract won’t be renewed. . . . He completed seven seasons as the Checkers’ head coach, going 268-225-51. This season, Charlotte went 31-38-7, and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. . . . Daniels also is a former Hurricanes player and assistant coach.
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Proud to be apart of the Portland Winterhawks! Looking forward to continuing the tradition of excellence. #GoHawks

— Caleb Jones (@Jones4Caleb) April 30, 2015

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Virtanen to sit for a bit . . . Bacon and eggs in Brandon . . . Pats' Lang makes move

MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

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F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen has been suspended for three games for a headshot on F Tanner Kaspick of the Brandon Wheat Kings in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Friday. . . . Virtanen sat out Game 2 on Saturday, and he won’t play tonight or Wednesday in Calgary. . . . Brandon leads the series 2-0, so Virtanen needs at least one Calgary victory if he is going to play again this season. . . . Kaspick left the game after neutral zone hit and hasn’t played since. . . . A video of the play is available right here.
The Hitmen also have been without F Connor Rankin and F Chase Lang, both with undisclosed injuries. . . . Virtanen, Rankin and Lang have combined for 34 playoff points, including 18 goals. . . . The Hitmen have scored 55 goals in their 14 playoff games.
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Mark French, the head coach of the Calgary Hitmen, was fined $1,000 after he slammed a stick against the boards — five times, if you’re counting — and then tossed it onto the ice in the third period of a 9-4 loss in Game 1 in Brandon on Friday night. In Brandon, coaches enter and exit the players’ bench by walking on the ice. If you saw video of the incident, French came close to doing a pratfall as he was leaving. . . . “I don’t have much comment on that other than it probably won’t be happening again due to the fact that I almost fell coming off the ice,” French told Laurence Heinen, who covers the Hitmen for the Calgary Herald. “We’ll leave that there.” . . . Heinen’s story is right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have perhaps the best promotional deal in all of the WHL with Smitty’s, a local restaurant. If the Wheat Kings score seven goals in a home game, a game ticket presented within seven days is worth a free Lucky 7 breakfast. You have to purchase a beverage, then you get
two eggs, two strips of bacon or two sausages, and two buttermilk pancakes or toast. . . . This season, the Wheat Kings scored at least seven goals on nine occasions in the regular season. . . . On Monday, a tweet from Smitty’s indicated the results:
Eggs: 1,952.5 dozen.
Bacon: 732.2 pounds.
Sausage: 901 pounds.
Pancakes: 11,715.
Loaves of break: 1,065.
Maple syrup: 73 gallons.
Value: $50,255.07.
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There’s a blog out there titled Hodges Heroes that follows the Portland Winterhawks. There usually is some interesting stuff on there. Check it out to see some interesting numbers on the Winterhawks from Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference final against the Kelowna Rockets. . . . According to his numbers, the Winterhawks were 33-for-52 (63 per cent) on face-offs in Game 1 and 37-for-64 (58 per cent) in Game 2. . . . Portland F Chase De Leo was 20-for-24 in Game 2. . . . You will find it right here.
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The Regina Pats announced Monday that, effective June 1, former general manager Chad Lang will leave his position as senior vice-president to become a senior advisor. . . . According to a news release: “In his new role, Chad will work directly with the owners of the Pats, Regina-based Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group (QCSEG). His extensive knowledge and experience will also be utilized with the team’s business and hockey operations.” . . . In the same release, Lang said: “Having been born and raised in Regina, working with my hometown team has been a dream come true. This new role allows me to continue to remain with the organization, but also gives me the ability to fully explore other business opportunities.” . . . Lang has been with the Pats for five years. He was the GM until the Pats hired John Paddock as senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach prior to this season.
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The Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals played in Regina’s Brandt Centre on Saturday afternoon. Yes, the Globetrotters won, this time 77-75 in OT. “Suitably,” reported Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post, “the game featured the shakiest officiating since, well, the Pats-Brandon Wheat Kings playoff series of 2015.”
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I

n the QMJHL, the host Quebec Remparts beat the Moncton Wildcats 5-1 on Monday to take a 3-0 lead in that semifinal. The Remparts get their first chance to close it out tonight at home. . . . In the other series, the Rimouski Oceanic take a 1-0 lead into tonight’s game against the Foreurs in Val-d’Or. . . .
In the OHL, the Erie Otters hold a 2-1 lead on the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. They’ll play Game 4 tonight in Erie. . . . The Oshawa Generals and North Bay Battalion are 1-1. They are in North Bay for Game 3 tonight.
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It looks like Indians Trevor Bauer came expecting to fight the Royals today. pic.twitter.com/Ig0BnA1BEz
— Ryan Walton (@RyanWaltonMLB) April 27, 2015

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Coulter OT hero in Brandon . . . Petan wins it for Portland . . . Johnston staying in Pittsburgh

F Milan Jurik (Prince Albert, 2006-07) has signed a one-year extension with Mulhouse (France, Division 1). This season, in 23 games, he had nine goals and 12 assists. . . .
F Michal Pšurný (Medicine Hat, Kootenay, 2005-06) has signed a one-year contract with Mulhouse (France, Division 1). This season, with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier), he had 19 goals and 34 assists in 41 games.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

Tyler Coulter scores 51 secs into OT. @bdnwheatkings down Calgary 3-2 to take 2-0 lead in @TheWHL East Final. #bdnmb pic.twitter.com/BpuGMMpyAm
— Bruce Luebke (@wheatkingsvoice) April 26, 2015

In Brandon, F Tyler Coulter scored 51 seconds into OT to give the Wheat Kings a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . The Wheat Kings won the opener, 9-4, on Friday. The teams now head for Calgary and games Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Brandon scored nine times on 41 shots in Game 1; last night, it scored three times on 46 shots as Calgary G Brendan Burke was stellar. . . . Coulter, who is from Brandon, tipped in a point shot from D Ryan Pilon for the winner, his fourth goal of these playoffs. . . . Coulter told Rob Henderson, the sports editor of the Brandon Sun, that the goal pretty much came in

self-defence. The puck, Coulter said, “actually hit the shaft of my stick going in. I thought it was coming for my face, so I put (the stick) up to guard it and it just hit me and went in.” . . . The Hitmen now are 4-3 in OT in these playoffs. Seven OT games in one playoff year ties the franchise record from 2013 when they were 5-2. . . . Brandon is 4-0, with each winning score having been 3-2. . . . Calgary D Michael Zipp forced OT with his first playoff goal, at 6:51 of the third period. . . . For the second night in a row, Calgary erased a two-goal deficit. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk, who opened the scoring early in Game 1, got last night’s first goal at 3:49 of the first period. He’s got seven. . . . F Peter Quenneville upped it to 2-0, at 11:03, while Brandon enjoyed a 5-on-3 PP. He’s got goals in five straight games and six in the playoffs. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini got his guys on the board at 16:48 with his 10th goal. . . . The teams played a scoreless second period. . . . Burke, who came on in relief on Friday night, got the start for Calgary after Mack Shield had started six in a row. . . . Burke, who made 43 saves, had last started in Game 6 of Calgary’s first-round series. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny turned aside 22 shots as he ran his record to 10-2. . . . Brandon was 1-for-2 on the PP; Calgary was 0-for-1. . . . The referees were Derek Zalaski and Jeff Ingram. . . . Pilon and F Tim McGauley each had two assists for Brandon. . . . This was the sixth straight game in which Brandon had at least 40 shots at the opposing goaltender. . . . The Hitmen were without F Jake Virtanen, who is under a ‘tbd’ suspension for a headshot on Brandon F Tanner Kaspick early in the third period of Game 1. . . . Kaspick was scratched last night, perhaps with a concussion, while D Kale Clague, who left in the first period on Friday, also was out. . . . Brandon added F Mark Matsuba and F Stelio Mattheos for this one. . . . Calgary scratched F Chase Lang, who was injured in Game 1 when he crashed awkwardly into the end boards, and F Connor Rankin. Those two and Virtanen accounted for 187 points, including 78 goals, in the regular season. . . . Attendance was 5,004, down 24 from Friday night. . . . Brandon’s Kelly McCrimmon now has 62 career playoff victories, leaving him alone in ninth spot on the WHL’s all-time list. Next on the list? Don Nachbaur of the Spokane Chiefs, at 65. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . . Laurence Heinen filed this game story for the Calgary Herald.

In Kelowna, F Nic Petan broke a 2-2 tie at 19:12 of the second period and the Portland Winterhawks went on to a 3-2 victory over the Rockets. . . . Kelowna had won the opener, erasing a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 victory, on Friday night. . . . The scene now shifts to the Moda Center in Portland for games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for Kelowna on Friday. . . . As it did in Game 1,

Portland opened a 2-0 lead, with F Paul Bittner getting his third goal, on a PP, at 16:33 of the first period and F Dominic Turgeon scoring his seventh goal at 11:46 of the second. . . . The Rockets erased that 2-0 deficit with a pair of second-period PP goals, F Rourke Chartier scoring his ninth goal at 13:29 and F Dillon Dube getting his second at 15:51. . . . Nic Petan ran his point streak to 13 games with his eighth goal, on a Serge/Denis Savard-ian spin-o-rama at 19:12 of the second. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 38 shots, nine more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-4. . . . The referees were Sean Raphael and Reagan Vetter. . . . F Nick Merkley had two assists for Kelowna. . . . In the third period, Larry Fisher of the Kelowna Daily Courier was speculating on Twitter that Rockets F Leon Draisaitl may be playing hurt. At one point, Fisher tweeted that “Draisaitl didn't look right on that shift. Rockets trainer Scott Hoyer went and talked to him on bench after he came off.” . . . Draisaitl had one assist on Friday and was pointless last night. In five games in the second round, he put up 11 points. . . . Kelowna inserted D/F Riley Stadel into the lineup, replacing F Gage Quinney, who apparently suffered an undisclosed injury on Friday. . . . Kelowna F Tomas Soustal struggled to get to the bench after going hard into the end boards in the third period. . . . The last nine times Portland has opened a series with a loss, it has come back to win Game 2. . . . Portland freelancer Scott Sepich reports that Portland now has played 19 straight series without falling behind 2-0. . . . Joe Sakic, the Colorado Avalanche’s executive vice-president and general manager, was in the house. He and Rockets’ head coach Dan Lambert were teammates for two seasons (1985-87) with the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Attendance was 5,681, down 190 from Friday.
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For whatever reason, there was recent speculation that Mike Johnston, the former GM and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks, was on the hot seat as his first season as head coach of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins wound down. Well, Pittsburgh was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the New York Rangers on Friday night, and the Penguins quickly gave Johnston a vote of confidence. . . . Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more right here.
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The U.S. beat Canada 7-2 in one semifinal game at the IIHF U-18 World championship in Zug, Switzerland, on Saturday. . . . Canada, which finished third a year ago, will play Switzerland for bronze today, while the U.S. will meet Finland in the championship game. . . . F Auston Matthews, whose WHL rights belong to the Everett Silvertips, had two goals for the U.S. Boston University F Jack Eichel, who is expected to be the second overall selection in the NHL’s 2015 draft in June, had 10 points, including five goals, in seven games at this tournament last season. Matthews has 14 points, eight of them goals, in six games this time around.
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The Telus Cup, for Canada’s midget AAA championship, will be decided today when the Grenadiers de Châteauguay meet the Toronto Young Nationals in the final in Riviere-du-Loup, Que. . . . Interestingly, the Grenadiers’ head coach is Steve Hartley, the son of Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley, who is busy with the Stanley Cup playoffs these days. Steve is in his first season with the Grendadiers. He was an assistant coach with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads when they won the 2013 Memorial Cup. . . . F Owen Sillinger of the Regina Pat Canadians, who lost out in a semifinal, was the tournament’s leading scorer, top forward and MVP. He is the son of former NHLer/WHLer Mike Sillinger.
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Almost two years have gone by since Jordan Chartier of Saskatoon, who had yet to see his 24th birthday, jumped out of a speeding vehicle and died. Chartier’s family, along with friends, including Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock, are helping a mental-health program called the Neural Health Project that has been launched in Saskatoon. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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During his NHL career, Mike Peluso was an enforcer. As such, he suffered numerous concussions. . . . “At no time in my NHL career did anyone — a doctor, trainer, coach or league representative — ever tell me that I could be at risk for seizures or other long-term neurological diseases and disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer’s,” he writes in Saturday’s Globe and Mail. “I loved playing hockey, but wish someone had sat us all down to have an honest conversation about how our brains would feel years into the future.” . . . Peluso’s first-person piece is right here.
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Congrats @OBjorkstrand on player of the year! And a little #tbt of me getting 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct😂 pic.twitter.com/WXntXN0BCE
— Brendan Leipsic (@28LEIP) April 23, 2015

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Papirny proving himself . . . Kompon talks 'Hawks-Rockets . . . A taco cannon? Seriously?

F Michal Řepík (Vancouver, 2005-08) signed a two-year contract with Liberec (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Pelicans Lahti (Finland, Liiga), he had nine goals and 22 assists in 49 games. He also played four games with Zug (Switzerland, NL A), picking up two goals and an assist.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.

Steve Montador was, as Daniel Carcillo puts it, his “best friend in hockey.” On Feb. 15, Montador, 35, was found dead in his home. He had battled addictions and post-concussion syndrome, the latter having forced a premature end to his hockey career. . . . On Wednesday, a piece written by Carcillo, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, was posted at The Players’ Tribune. . . . This is powerful stuff, especially the video at the end, and it's all right here.
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In the same vein, here is the link to a story that appeared on CKPG-TV in Prince George on Tuesday. It features Cooper Holick, a young man who, in a bid to help other young people, has opened up his mental health issues. He did it with the full support of his mother, Janet, and father, Mark, who is the head coach of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
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G Jordan Papirny of the Brandon Wheat Kings is eager to get the Eastern Conference final started. That series opens Friday night with the Calgary Hitmen in Brandon. Papirny goes into the final on quite a roll, too. As Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports: “Papirny hasn’t given up a goal after the second intermission in any of the Wheat Kings’ last six games and he has a remarkable .964 save percentage in third periods and overtime sessions in this year’s post-season.” . . . That story is right here.
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The Calgary Hitmen have played 12 playoff games this spring, and six of them have gone to overtime. Calgary won four of those games, so really doesn’t mind working overtime. Laurence Heinen covers that angle in this story for the Calgary Herald.
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Jamie Kompon is in his first season as the GM and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks. Really, they haven’t missed a beat as they are into the Western Conference final for the fifth straight season. They’ll open Friday against the host Kelowna Rockets. . . . In advance of the series, Kompon offered up some thoughts for Steve Brandon of the Portland Tribune.
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In Kelowna, the Rockets remember what happened a year ago when they met up with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference final. Yes, Portland won. In five games. These are different teams, of course, especially on their back ends, and the Rockets are hoping that gives them an edge. Warren Henderson of Kelowna’s Capital News has that story right here.
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The Everett Silvertips finished atop the U.S. Division, but lost a second-round series in five games to the Portland Winterhawks, who had finished three points behind them. So how do the Silvertips look at their season? “I thought it was a great season,” head coach Kevin Constantine told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald. . . . That story is right here.
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The WHL office has looked after a couple of items left over from the second round of the playoffs. . . . F Jared Dmytriw of the Victoria Royals was given a one-game suspension after he incurred a boarding major and game misconduct in Kelowna on Friday. He’ll sit out the first game of the 2015-16 season. . . . D Connor Hobbs of the Regina Pats drew a one-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct he took on April 15 against visiting Brandon. Hobbs served the penalty when he missed Game 5 of that series on Friday.
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So . . . which WHL building will be the first to be home to a taco cannon? Seriously! There will be one at University of Nebraska Omaha games next season. . . . There’s more right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

John Paddock isn’t going anywhere. Paddock, the Pats’ senior vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, has told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post that he has no plans to leave. “I hope this is my last job in hockey, but I hope it's not done anytime soon," Paddock said. "I didn't come here to use this to springboard anywhere. It would be hard to envision going anywhere else right now.” . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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This Winnipeg church is blessed with a humourous sign maker. #NHLJets #NHLDucks #GoJetsGo #PaintItOrange pic.twitter.com/wqAweDQTsU
— Judy Owen (@SportyCottager) April 22, 2015

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Winterhawks in front of 'Tips . . . Former WHLer next top cop in Toronto? . . . Gong show in NHL

F Stanislav Balán (Portland, 2005-06) has signed a one-year contract with Vítkovice Steel Ostrava (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga), he had 13 goals and 18 assists in 51 games. . . .
F Roman Horák (Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year extension with Vityaz Podolsk (Russia, KHL). This season, he had 31 points, including 18 goals, in 53 games. . . .
D Michal Hlinka (Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, 2010-12) has signed a one-year extension with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had 15 points, seven of them goals, in 43 games this season.
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THURSDAY’S GAME:

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first five goals as they skated to a 5-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Portland takes a 2-1 lead into Game 4 tonight at home. . . . The teams hadn’t played since Saturday because of arena availability issues in Portland. . . . Portland D Anton Cederholm opened the scoring with his first goal at 17:52 of the second period. . . . By coincidence, freelancer Scott Sepich wrote a feature on Cederholm and his father, who is in Portland this week from Sweden, for The Oregonian. That piece is right here. . . . F Nic Petan got his sixth goal at 18:13 of the second, on a PP, and F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, giving him eight, in the third period. . . . F Dominic Turgeon upped it to 5-0 at 14:27. . . . Everett scored three times in 1:46 late in the period, with D Kevin Davis, F Ivan Nikolishin and F Graham Millar scoring. . . . Petan also had two assists for Portland, as did F Miles Koules and F Chase De Leo. . . . F Logan Aasman had two assists for Everett. . . . Winterhawks G Adin Hill stopped 16 shots. . . . Everett starter Carter Hart gave up four goals on 34 shots. Reliever Austin Lotz was beaten once on two shots in 6:26 of playing time. . . . Portland was 2-for-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl returned to the lineup after a five-game absence, but the Silvertips remain without D Noah Juulsen and D Tristen Pfeiffer. . . . Leedahl was involved in a fight with F Keegan Iverson at 10:27 of the second period, then took a cross-checking minor at 19:01. Leedahl didn’t return to serve out his penalty to start the third period. Nikolishin actually finished serving the penalty. . . . Attendance was 5,518.

Joke that'll kill at your next dinner party: Q: What do you call it when Everett hockey players pay gratuities in quarters? A: Silver tips
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 17, 2015

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D Connor Hobbs of the Regina Pats has drawn one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions from the WHL for a hit in Game 4 against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday night. Hobbs took out Brandon D Ryan Pilon, whose status for Game 5 in Brandon tonight isn’t known.
Here’s Rob Henderson, the Brandon Sun’s sports editor, with some thoughts earlier Thursday:
“It would be in the Wheat Kings’ best interest to end the series as soon as possible. In addition to the obvious desire to not let the Pats force a Game 6 on Sunday in Regina, the physical series is also taking a serious toll on both teams’ lineups.
“Wheat Kings Jayce Hawryluk, Rihards Bukarts, Colton Waltz and Ryan Pilon have all been injured since the series began, with Pilon being knocked out of Game 4 by the hit that led to Hobbs’ major. . . . Pats defenceman Sergey Zborovskiy still has one game left in his suspension for the hit that sidelined Hawryluk, while Regina’s Rykr Cole and Chase Harrison have also gone down to injuries in the series.”
Henderson added that Kelly McCrimmon, Brandon’s general manager and head coach, “didn’t divulge any information when asked if any of his injured players would return for tonight’s game.”
Brandon F Morgan Klimchuk, who has sat out six games, took part in Thursday’s optional skate.
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The Calgary Hitmen can eliminate the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers tonight and book a berth in the Eastern Conference final. . . . The Hitmen are coming off a 2-1 OT victory in Medicine Hat on Wednesday night that gave them a 3-1 lead in the series. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini, who leads the WHL playoffs in assists (10) and points (19), missed Game 4 with an undisclosed injury, but was back on skates Thursday. He likely will skate again this morning and then be re-evaluated. . . . You can bet that the Hitmen go into tonight’s game with their first-round series victory over the Kootenay Ice fresh in their minds. Calgary was ahead 3-1 in that series and it ended up going seven games. . . . The Tigers may be without F Blake Penner, who left Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. . . . Laurence Heinen wrote this story for the Calgary Herald.
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The NHL’s Colorado Avalanche is dropping its affiliation with the AHL’s Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters. . . . The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets are expected to announce today that they are moving their affiliation from Springfield, Mass., to Lake Erie. . . . There is speculation that the Arizona Coyotes will hook up with Springfield, at least for one seasno. . . . Former WHL GM/coach/player Dean Chynoweth is Lake Erie’s head coach. . . . Jared Bednar, another former WHL player, is the head coach in Springfield. . . . Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, who broke the story, writes that the Springfield coaching staff, which includes another former WHLer in Nolan Pratt, would move to Lake Erie. . . . Portzline’s blog piece is right here. . . . Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reported last night that the Avalanche will affiliate with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, which had been hooked up with the Florida Panthers. Next season, Florida will be affiliated with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, who had been Arizona’s farm team. Arizona, of course, will end up cutting a deal with Springfield, and the circle will be complete.
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The Globe and Mail is reporting that former WHLer Dale McFee, who is the president of the Prince Albert Raiders, is the “wild card contender” to become Toronto’s next police chief. McFee, who played four seasons with the Raiders (1982-86), also is a former Prince Albert police chief; he now is Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of corrections. . . . Robyn Doolittle’s story is right here.
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SUN FRONT: Game 2 btw #Sens & #Habs goes Friday. All we gotta say is HEADS UP, P.K. #ottnews #NHLPlayoffs #slashgate pic.twitter.com/qYJwF18yTL
— Ottawa Sun (@ottawasuncom) April 17, 2015

As Pierre LeBrun of ESPN notes in this piece right here, the NHL series between the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators already has degenerated into a “gong show,” and it's only one game old. . . . It could be that Ottawa F Chris Neil, who didn’t play in Game 1, will be doing his thing tonight in Game 2.
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Just as things heat up in the NHL players and we are wondering if something might relieve the pressure, if only for a few minutes, along comes a video starring ESPN’s Britt McHenry. . . . If you haven’t seen it or read about what happened, well, it’s like something out of Dumb and Dumber and Dumbest. Seriously, you thought stuff like this only happened in Judd Apatow movies. . . . At one point, McHenry says to the attendant at a towing company’s lot: “Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh? . . I’m in television and you’re in a f------ trailer, honey.” . . . Sheesh, wouldn’t you think that someone who is in the TV business would realize that she just might be on camera in a place like that?
Richard Deitsch of SI.com has more right here.
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The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed D Jarret Tyszka, who was the 16th overall selection in the 2014 bantam draft. From Langley, B.C., Tyszka played this season for the midget team at the Yale Hockey Academy, putting up 10 points, three of them goals, in 23 games.
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F Tyler Jeanson of the MJHL-champion Portage Terriers has signed a letter of intent with the Colgate University Raiders. Jeanson, 17, was selected by the Kamloops Blazers in the ninth round of the 2012 bantam draft. The MJHL’s rookie of the year last season, he had 54 points, including 23 goals, in 56 regular-season games this season.
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The Melfort Mustangs won the SJHL championship last night, beating the host Notre Dame Hounds 4-0 to win the series, 4-0. Trevor Blevins, the Mustangs’ head coach, is from Melfort. He was a player with the Mustangs when they last won the SJHL title, in 1996. . . . The Mustangs went 12-2 in their playoff run, with both losses coming in OT. . . . In the BCHL, the host Penticton Vees beat the Nanaimo Clippers 3-2 last night. The Vees take a 3-2 series lead into Nanaimo for Game 6 tonight. The Clippers had won Games 1 and 2, both in Penticton. . . . In the AJHL, the Spruce Grove Saints hold a 3-1 lead on the Brooks Bandits with Game 5 scheduled for Spruce Grove tonight. . . . Three teams — the host Fort McMurray Oil Barons, Melfort and the MJHL-champion Portage Terriers — now have spots in the Western Canada Cup. It runs in Fort McMurray, April 25 through May 3. The top two teams move on to the Royal Bank Cup, the national championship tournament. This year, it will be held in Portage la Prairie, Man.
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I hear contract talks with Canes head coach and GM Peter Anholt are proceeding and they hope to have him signed soon.
— Dylan Purcell (@dylpurcell) April 17, 2015

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