Ice stays alive . . . Everett showing Hart . . . Broncos captain gets NHL deal

F Jamie Lundmark (Moose Jaw, Seattle, 1998-2001) has signed a two-year extension with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). In 54 games, Lundmark had 24 goals and 25 assists. He led his team in goals, assists and points, and was eighth in the league’s scoring race.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Calgary, F Levi Cable was credited with the OT goal that gave the Kootenay Ice a 5-4 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Calgary leads the series 3-2 as they head back to Cranbrook for Game 6 tonight. . . . It was the third time in five games that the teams needed OT to settle things. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini scored the winner in both of those games and he came close early in OT last night, only to be thwarted by G Wyatt Hoflin. . . . Moments later, at 6:05, Ice F Luke Philp took a shot that ended up in the Calgary goal to win the game. Cable, who had scored earlier in the game, doesn’t think he touched the puck, so the goal likely will be changed to Philp, who already had a goal and three assists. . . . The teams combined for two first-period goals, six in the second and none in the third. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart tied the game 4-4 with his fourth goal of the series, on a PP, at 19:51 of the second. . . . The Hitmen had taken a 4-2 lead when F Kenton Helgesen got his fourth goal, via a PP, at 12:51. . . . The Ice cut the deficit to one on Philp’s shorthanded goal at 17:48. . . . Philp and Tambellini, who had two assists, lead the playoff scoring race, each with 11 points. Tambellini has five goals; Philp has three, or maybe four. . . . Reinhart, who took 10 minor penalties in 47 regular-season games, took two minors for the second straight game. He was in the penalty box for Helgesen’s PP goal and for Philp’s shorthanded score. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon had two assists. . . . F Radel Fazleev scored twice for Calgary. . . . Hoflin finished with 24 saves, seven fewer than Calgary’s Brendan Burke. . . . The Ice was 2-for-8 on the PP; the Hitmen were 2-for-3. . . . Attendance was 9,121. . . . A post-game tweet from the Ice: “DID YOU KNOW: tonight marked the 1st playoff OT win for the ICE vs. Calgary since 04/29/00 (KTN 6 @ 5 CGY). Zdenek Blatny had the OT winner. . . . Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun has a game story right here.

In Spokane, the Everett Silvertips scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Everett goes home for tonight’s fifth game with a 3-1 lead in the series. . . . F Logan Aasman got Everett on the board at 2:21 of the second period and F Nikita Scherbak made it 2-0 at 11:54. . . . F Brayden Low upped the lead to 3-0 at 6:48 of the third. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto scored for the Chiefs, on a PP, at 10:53 of the third. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 31 shots, 12 more than Garret Hughson of the Chiefs. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl skated in the warmup but was scratched. With him out, Everett dressed D Jantzen Leslie, a first-round pick from the 2014 bantam draft. D Jordan Wharrie saw time as a forward. . . . Attendance was 5,130. . . . The Chiefs were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-for-5. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here. . . .
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There weren’t any embellishment penalties handed out in the Everett-Spokane game, despite both coaches having complained about the opposition’s diving tactics. . . . If you missed it, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine filled in Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald on Thursday:
“Their diving and their flopping to me has almost turned into an Olympic sport. It was very evident, it was epidemic in the game (Wednesday) night.
“I think a couple players on our team over the course of the season gave us a false team reputation of going down easy. Our team has never promoted that or done that, even though there's a couple players who have done it a little. It's nothing compared to what Spokane has done in the first three games."
With Spokane’s special teams having been better in the regular season, Constantine told Patterson that the Chiefs “as a team, conspired to turn this into a flopping contest. You could pick out 10 times before what happened with Scherbak in overtime — 10 times — where they just purposely dropped to the ice. I don't debate that Scherbak, in the case of the overtime penalty, might have tried to encourage the ref to make a call the other way and got called for it. But that call that was made on Scherbak should have been called on Spokane 10 times prior to that call being made. I could show you the 10 times (on video) right now.
“To me it's a bit comical and a bit frustrating how much Spokane is just flopping all over the ice. I think it's a travesty to the game, I think it's bad for the game that they're doing that, and I hope the officiating can stay on top of them doing that.”
Patterson’s complete story is right here.
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F Colby Cave of the Swift Current Broncos has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Boston Bruins. Cave, who just completed his 20-year-old season with the Broncos, was an undrafted unrestricted free agent. . . . From Battleford, Sask., Cave had career highs in goals (35), assists (40) and points (75) this season. He played all 72 regular-season games for a third straight season. . . . In 287 career games, he had 202 points, 95 of the goals.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings and Regina Pats will be well-rested by the time they begin their second-round series on Friday. Both teams completed first-round sweeps on Wednesday. . . . “It’s uncommon to have breaks this long,” Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner/GM/head coach, told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “(The Pats) swept their series so they were done on Wednesday night. We had a real compressed schedule so by playing five games in seven nights were done on Wednesday, and it’s going to give both teams a lot of opportunity to be ready for Round 2.” . . . McCrimmon gave his players a couple of days off, while he was in Winnipeg on Friday scouting the Western Canadian bantam championship.
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The NHL’s Montreal Canadiens have assigned Swift Current Broncos D Brett Lernout to the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. Lernout was selected by Montreal in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft and signed a three-year contract with the Habs on Dec. 19. . . . This sesason, Lernout, 19, had 42 points, including 14 goals, in 72 games with the Broncos, whose season ended this week with a first-round loss to the Regina Pats. . . . The Bulldogs are at home to the Utica Comets tonight.
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F Mads Eller of the Edmonton Oil Kings played hurt as his squad lost to the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games. Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal has more right here on Eller and his broken mastoid process.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed F Spencer Gerth, 16, a list player who was in their training camp prior to this season. Gerth spent the season with the junior B Golden Rockets of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Ty Davidson, who was the Rockets’ GM/head coach, is the son of Everett GM Garry Davidson. . . . Gerth had 22 points, including eight goals, in 52 games with Golden.
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KABOOM! . . . The Kimberley Dynamiters opened the Cyclone Taylor Cup — B.C.’s junior B championship tournament — with a 2-1 victory over the host Mission Outlaws on Friday night. . . . F Braden Saretsky, who turns 19 on April 16, scored the Nitros’ first goal, to continue his amazing playoff run. The West Kelowna native now has 19 goals in 23 playoff games; he scored 19 goals in 44 regular-season games. He played the first 19 games of the season with the KIJHL’s Summerland Steam and the last 25 with the Dynamiters. . . . Kimberley faces the Campbell River Storm today at 2 p.m. Pacific.
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Everett beats Spokane 3-1 to go up 3-1. Chiefs 0-6 with 6 goals for in last 6 home playoff games.
— Scott Sepich (@SSepich) April 4, 2015

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Rimmer undergoes cancer surgery . . . Donaldson family remembers Ryan . . . Hitmen streak hits nine

F Štěpán Novotný (Kelowna, Swift Current, 2008-11) has signed for the rest of this season with Žilina (Slovakia, Extraliga). Novotný started this season with Žilina but moved to Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga) in December. In 33 games with Žilina, he has 10 goals and seven assists. He had three goals in 13 games with Nitra.
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Further down, under Tweet of the Day, you will find four tweets from G Ty Rimmer (Brandon, Prince George, Tri-City, Lethbridge, 2009-13). Rimmer, 22, is the latest young hockey player to have been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Among the former WHL players who have been faced with this disease are Cody Smuk, Brandon Davidson and Dylan Tait.
Rimmer has had surgery and all signs point to his making a complete recovery.
In his tweets, he encourages young men to get checked out and to be quick to see a doctor if anything irregular is noticed.
Let’s not forget that Cole Hamblin, a former WHLer, lost his battle with a rare form of cancer, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, early in November.
Please allow me to point out the importance of early diagnosis. I have twice been treated for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. The first time, the dermatologist told me that if you were to get skin cancer, this was the one to get. That diagnosis involved a spot on one forearm.
The second time we dealt with spots on both hands that I had written off as nothing more than dry skin.
I now am more careful than ever before in terms of exposure to the elements, meaning I put on sun screen even on the cloudy days.
I also had a colon cancer test come back “mildly positive,” as my family doctor explained to me, late last fall. That led to a colonoscopy early in January. Thankfully, it didn’t find anything.
With the prevalence of cancers today, I would ask anyone with any suspicions to see a doctor. Early diagnosis is of the utmost importance.
Just ask Ty Rimmer.
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Want to get a look at the new arena in Medicine Hat — the Medicine Hat Regional Event Centre (aka The House that Bob Built)? It looks to be shaping up quite nicely. . . . Click right here and take a look at a video from CHAT-TV. (Tip of the hat to Kim Johnston for providing the link.)
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The Portland Winterhawks have signed D Jackson Caller, 15, who was a seventh-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Caller, from Kamloops, plays for the midget prep team at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna. He has 13 points, including three goals, in 29 games. The academy shows him at 6-foot-1 and 167 pounds. . . .
Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reported Wednesday that F Logan Aasman, 19, is back skating with the Everett Silvertips. Aasman, who has been out since Nov. 30 because of a concussion, had been at home in Medicine Hat recovering. He returned to Everett last week and is practising in a no-contact jersey. If all goes well, Aasman might return to the Silvertips’ lineup around month’s end. . . . Aasman had eight points, two of them goals, in 25 games when he was injured. In 108 career games, he has 26 points, including seven goals. . . .
The Brandon Wheat Kings, who are one point out of first-place overall, are showing D Kale Clague as being out week-to-week. Clague returned from a wrist injury last week but was injured Sunday, in his third game back. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville (suspected concussion) practised Wednesday, while F Jayce Hawryluk (undisclosed injury) remains out, as is D Ivan Provorov (undisclosed injury) and G Alex Moodie (suspected concussion). . . .
F Quinn Benjafield of the Kamloops Blazers ended up with a four-game suspension for a headshot major and game misconduct he took Saturday against the visiting Kelowna Rockets. He hit F Tyson Baillie, who is listed by the Rockets as being out week-to-week. Benjafield has sat out one game so far. . . . The Blazers and Tri-City Americans each were fined $250 for warmup violations prior to Monday afternoon’s game in Kamloops. Tri-City D Riley Hillis came out of that with a one-game suspension for a game misconduct he incurred. Interestingly, there isn’t anything on the online game sheet that indicates that Hillis was ejected. He served the suspension last night as the Americans played in Everett. . . .
D Alec Capstick of Langley, B.C., has committed to the U of Notre Dame where he will play hockey for the Irish. . . . Capstick, who will turn 16 on Feb, 18, was selected by the Saskatoon Blades in the fourth round of the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. . . . He is playing at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, B.C. . . .
The Vancouver Giants are another WHL team to have gotten Hockey Hooky fever. They’ll play host to the Moose Jaw Warriors on Wednesday with the game starting at noon. The Warriors also will play a Hockey Hooky game in Victoria on Tuesday. That game is to start at 12:05 p.m.
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The Donaldson family — mother Dana, father Doug and sister Kirsten — are determined that the life of their son and brother, Ryan, won’t have been for naught.
They are convinced that concussions suffered while playing hockey led to his suicide last February at the age of 17.
Gary Ahuja of the Langley Times has an extensive piece right here on the Donaldson family.
“Concussions and even simple brain shaking cause changes in the brain that cause the sufferer to lose control over their impulses,” Dana told Ahuja. “Basically, they make impulsive decisions. That is what Ryan did, he made an impulsive life-ending decision.
“That was not him and all his many friends need to know it was the brain injury that caused his death.
“Anyone who knew him knows he was full of life and positive.”
The family’s goal is to make sure no one else goes through what they have experienced in the past year.
“One of the biggest things for us is that we have come to realize with concussions, if we could go back, we would change exactly how we dealt with Ryan,” Doug said.
“Once a player has had one concussion, they know what the questions are and how they are going to answer them so they can get back in the game,” he said.
“With the baseline test, you can take that away from a player.”
The Donaldsons are organizing the inaugural Ryan Donaldson Memorial Tournament. Individual players will register for the tournament, teams will be selected via a draft and fun will be had by all.
Proceeds will be used to provide access to baseline testing to any players who want it. There also are plans to set up a trust fund that will be used to aid families who are dealing with concussions.
It is worth noting, too, that the Donaldsons donated their son’s organs as they took him off life support.
“We figured he was such a giving kid, this is what he would have wanted to do,” Dana told Ahuja.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Prince Albert, G Nick McBride stopped 24 shots to lead the Raiders to a 3-0 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . It was McBride’s second shutout of the season and second of his career. It was his first victory in 12 decisions, too. . . . Raiders F Tim Vanstone scored his eighth goal at 2:56 of the second period and it stood up as the winner. . . . The Raiders struck for three goals in 4:07, with F Colton Heffley getting his fifth at 6:41 and F Matteo Gennaro getting No. 9 at 7:03. . . . Chiefs G Garret Hughson stopped 27 shots. . . . F Craig Leverton had two assists. . . . Eleven of the 16 minor penalties called in the game were for roughing. . . . Each team was 0-for-4 on the PP. . . . Vanstone left in the second period with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. . . . The Raiders (23-31-2) have won two in a row. They have 16 games remaining and are seven points out of a playoff spot. . . . Spokane (26-24-4), which has been shutout in five of its last 11 games, is 2-2-0 on its six-game East Division trip. The Chiefs, who are in Brandon on Friday, hold down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Jeff D’Andrea of panow.com has a game story right here. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored five second-period goals and went on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 6-3. . . . Ice F Levi Cable, who was playing his 250th game, got the game’s first goal, his 24th, just 59 seconds into the first period. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau picked up his 150th career assist on Cable’s goal. . . . Tigers F Cole Sanford scored his WHL-leading 44th goal on a PP at 2:54 of the second. He’s riding a 12-game point streak. . . . Ice D Rinat Valiev broke the tie with his eighth goal at 11:07 and the Ice added four more before the period ended. . . . Cable and Valiev each had two assists, as did F Luke Philp. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 22nd goal and added his 150th career assist. . . . Descheneau added his 25th goal, while F Sam Reinhart got No. 13. . . . With head coach Ryan McGill ill and unavailable, assistant coach Jay Henderson ran the Kootenay bench. . . . The Ice had D Tanner Faith back on their bench, but he was in the role of an assistant coach. He is recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery. . . . The Tigers were without D Ty Stanton (ill), but had D Tyler Lewington, their captain, back from a one-game suspension. . . . The Ice (28-26-1) had lost its previous three games. It owns the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point up on Edmonton. . . . The Tigers (36-16-3) lead the Central Division by six points over Calgary. . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story right here. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Jamal Watson scored twice and set up another to lead the Hurricanes to a 6-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Watson has 20 goals. . . . The Hurricanes erased a 2-1 deficit with three straight goals. . . . F Jack Rodewald gave Moose Jaw a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal at 2:08 of the second. He’s got 25 goals. . . . Lethbridge F Mike Winther tied it with his ninth goal, on a PP, at 14:53. . . . F Johnny Wesley got his third goal at 18:30, on another PP, and Watson upped the lead to 4-2 at 2:48 of the third. . . . Moose Jaw F Jiri Smejkal, who had two assists, cut the deficit to one with his ninth goal at 12:57. . . . The Hurricanes iced it with a pair of shorthanded empty-netters, from Watson and D Andrew Nielsen, his seventh. Nielsen also had two assists. . . . Smejkal has 23 points in 54 games, with six of the points coming in two games against the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner turned aside 38 shots, 16 more than Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko. . . . D Reid Zalitach played his first game for the Warriors since Nov. 1. He had left the club for personal reasons. . . . The Hurricanes now are 16-32-6. . . . The Warriors (21-29-4), who are nine points out of a playoff spot with 18 games to play, have lost two in a row. This was the first of seven straight road games as the Canadian women’s curling championship has taken over their home arena. . . .

In Calgary, the Hitmen ran their winning streak to nine games with a 4-3 five-round shootout victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . F Brad Morrison scored for the Cougars in the first round of the shootout, with F Adam Tambellini countering for the Hitmen in the second round. . . . F Connor Rankin won it in the fifth round. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 49 shots through OT. . . . Morrison forced OT with his 20th goal at 12:00 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen led 2-0 in the second period, only to have the Cougars tie it on D Tate Olson’s fifth goal, on a PP, at 1:20 of the third. . . . F Jake Virtanen shot Calgary back into the lead with his 15th goal at 11:13. . . . Tambellini had two assists, while D Travis Sanheim scored his 11th goal and added an assist. . . . Calgary F Kenton Helgesen, the team captain, scored his 18th goal of the season in what was his 250th career game. . . . Morrison also had an assist, while F Zach Pochiro got his 10th goal and added an assist. . . . Calgary G Brendan Burke stopped 19 shots. . . . The Hitmen (32-17-5) are second in the Central Division, six points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Cougars (21-32-4) are 0-1-2 in their last three games. They are fifth in the B.C. Division, but just three points behind third-place Vancouver. . . .

In Vancouver, F Carter Popoff scored twice to help the Giants to a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton F Lane Bauer scored his 18th goal at 9:42 of the first period. . . . The Giants scored the game’s last three goals. . . . Popoff tied it at 7:33 of the second period and F Vladimir Bobylev got his third just 44 seconds later. . . . Popoff, who has 22 goals, iced it with an empty-netter at 19:34 of the third. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter stopped 31 shots. . . . Giants G Payton Lee, who has been out with a hand injury, was on the bench backing up Porter. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry blocked 21 shots. He played in his 148th career game to set a franchise record. He had shared the mark with Laurent Brossoit. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson had two assists. . . . Vancouver D Arvin Atwal was eligible to return from a WHL suspension, but he was a healthy scratch. . . . Vancouver (23-29-3) has won two in a row and has moved into third place in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of idle Kamloops. The Giants have a game in hand. . . . Edmonton (25-26-6) has lost two straight; it went 1-3-0 on a trip into the B.C. Division, scoring only six goals in the process. The Oil Kings hold down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province has a game story right here. . . .

In Everett, the Tri-City Americans erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits as they beat the Silvertips 4-3 in a shootout. . . . F Vladislav Lukin scored the lone goal of the three-round shootout. Lukin, a freshman from Ufa, Russia, isn’t believed to be related to former Kamloops Blazers captain Jaret Lukin. . . . This really was a wild one. . . . Everett led 2-0 after one period — on goals from F Patrick Bajkov, his 20th, and Remi Laurencelle, his 15th — and took that lead into the third. . . . The Americans tied it on D Brendan O’Reilly’s first goal, at 7:23 of the third, and F Lucas Nickles’ 20th just 12 seconds later. . . . F Nikita Scherbak put Everett back out front with his 23rd goal at 12:05. . . . Tri-City pulled even on F Beau McCue’s 21st goal at 14:28. . . . D Brandon Carlo had two assists for the Americans. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 26 shots through OT, three more than Tri-City’s Eric Comrie. . . . F Parker Bowles was among the Americans’ scratches. Bowles, who leads the Americans in assists and points, left a 3-0 loss in Kamloops on Sunday with an apparent injury to his left arm or shoulder. . . . The Americans also scratched D Riley Hillis (suspended), D Tyler Morrison (undisclosed injury) and D Dylan Coghlan (undisclosed injury). Tri-City F Braden Purtill moved back to defence for this one. . . . The Americans (26-26-3) are fifth in the U.S. Division, but are in the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Everett (34-16-5) leads the U.S. Division by seven points over idle Portland. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story right here.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES

No Games Scheduled.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

(all times local)
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Saskatoon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
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(1/4) Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The tumor was surgically removed and I am on my way to a full recovery!
— Ty Rimmer (@Rimms35) February 12, 2015

(2/4) The more awareness we can raise about this the better! So I would like to encourage all young men to get themselves checked out.
— Ty Rimmer (@Rimms35) February 12, 2015

(3/4) This disease can manifest very quickly, and may advance rapidly. So please dont hesitate to talk to your doctor if you notice anything
— Ty Rimmer (@Rimms35) February 12, 2015

(4/4) Thankyou to my family, friends, doctors, and the entire @EdmontonOilers organization for being so supportive during this time!
— Ty Rimmer (@Rimms35) February 12, 2015

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

Three d-men on move . . . Papirny, Lotz pitch shutouts . . . Hurricanes win again

Travis Green, a former assistant GM and assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks, is headed to the AHL All-Star Game. Green, who is in his second season as head coach of the Utica Comets, will be one of two Western Conference coaches. . . . Utica leads the conference with a 20-5-5-0 record. . . . There’s more right here.
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Garry Davidson, the general manager of the Everett Silvertips, has told Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald that he tried to land D Josh Morrissey before the Prince Albert Raiders dealt him to the Kelowna Rockets.
Davidson also said that he continues to shop, but . . .
"Between now and Jan. 10 I'd still like to strengthen the team in certain positions," Davidson told Patterson. "But the market looks really foggy right now, there's not a lot of teams selling.
"I've talked to teams about high-end players, but it's one thing to talk and another to make something happen. I want to stay with our philosophy of building through the draft and we've already traded away a first and a second, so I'm not excited about giving up other top picks. I'll try to do it another way, but that's very difficult. Maybe we'll have to be patient and ride it out this season."
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired D Colton Bobyk, 18, and a 2016 fourth-round bantam draft pick from the Spokane Chiefs for D Nick Charif, 19, a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and a conditional sixth-round selection in 2016. . . . Bobyk has played only eight games this season thanks to injuries. From Red Deer, he has been medically cleared to return. This season, he has a goal and three assists in those eight games. Last season, he had 12 points, including five goals, in 56 games. He was a 10th-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2011 draft. . . . In 2012-13, Bobyk played for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, who won the TELUS Cup as national midget champions. . . . Charif, from Edmonton, also has been out with an injury but has been cleared to play after missing 24 games. Last season, he had 13 points, three of them goals, in 57 games. This season, he has a goal and seven assists in 11 games. . . . The Chiefs now hold two first- and two second-round picks in the 2015 draft.
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The Swift Current Broncos added D Griffin Foulk, 19, on Saturday, acquiring him from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a conditional eighth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Hurricanes had released Foulk from their roster earlier in the month. . . . Foulk, from Broomfield, Colo., had 23 points, including six goals, in 153 regular-season games split between the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds and Lethbridge. . . . He had been an eighth-round pick by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the 2010 bantam draft. . . . The Broncos were looking for some back-end help with D Dillon Heatherington playing for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. The Broncos also are without D Jordan Harris (undisclosed injury). . . . Foulk was in Swift Current’s lineup last night as they beat the visiting Regina Pats, 5-3.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:

At Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 2-0 first-period deficit and went on to beat the Regina Pats, 5-3. . . . F Adam Brooks, with his 14th, and F Connor Gay, with his 16th, gave Regina a 2-0 lead. . . . Broncos F Colby Cave tied it with two goals, giving him 17, at 17:41 of the first and 4:20 of the second. . . . Swift Current F Carter Rigby broke the tie, with his 13th, at 14:46, and F Jake DeBrusk got his 18th at 16:35. . . . Rigby also had three assists and DeBrusk had two. . . . Broncos G Landon Bow stopped 40 shots. . . . The Broncos (18-14-4), who visit Regina tonight, have won two in a row. . . . The Pats (20-12-2) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . . Regina D Colby Williams (wrist) was back in the lineup after missing seven games. . . .

At Moose Jaw, G Jordan Papirny stopped 29 shots to help the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . Papirny has 22 victories and three shutouts this season. It was his fourth career shutout. . . . Brandon F Reid Duke got the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 9:57 of the first on the PP. . . . Duke also drew an assist on F John Quenneville’s 13th goal, an empty-netter at 18:30 of the third. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville had two assists. . . . The Wheat Kings (25-7-4) have points in six straight (4-0-2). . . . The Warriors (15-18-3) have lost four in a row. . . . Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 14th goal. He missed the last three games prior to the Christmas break with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle was ill and didn’t practice on Friday. He wasn’t dressed for this one. D Kale Clague (undisclosed injury) also was among Brandon’s scratches. . . . Moose Jaw F Jaimen Yakubowski sat out a one-game WHL suspension. . . . Moose Jaw F Noah Gregor missed his 26th straight game with an undisclosed injury, while F Ben Duperreault (14 games, undisclosed injury) was back in the lineup. . . . However, F Tanner Jeannot is out for a couple of months with an undisclosed injury and D Tyler Brown (hand) will sit for up to four more weeks. . . . The teams meet again today, this time in Brandon. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun has a game story right here. . . .

At Prince Albert, F Nikita Soshnin broke a 3-3 tie at 10:00 of the third period and the Saskatoon Blades went on to a 6-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . Soshnin, who also had two assists, has five goals this season. . . . Blades F Ryan Graham added two empty-netters, giving him 12 goals this season. . . . F Sam McKechnie had two goals, giving him 10, and an assist for Saskatoon (8-25-3), which snapped an 11-game skid (0-9-2). . . . F Reid Gardiner and F Jayden Hart each scored his 18th goal for the Raiders (16-19-1). . . . The rematch goes this afternoon in Saskatoon. . . . Saskatoon F Wyatt Sloboshan (broken jaw) was back after missing 23 games, while F Nick Zajac returned after a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Raiders were without D Mackenze Stewart, who served a one-game WHL suspension. . . .

At Edmonton, F Wyatt Johnson scored two second-period goals to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Johnson, who has 17 goals, gave the Rebels a 2-1 lead 32 seconds into the period. . . . Edmonton F Brett Pollock tied it, with his 14th, at 4:10. . . . Johnson broke the tie at 15:24. . . . Red Deer F Brooks Maxwell had two assists. . . . Rebels G Rylan Toth stopped 30 shots, four more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . The Rebels (19-13-4), who entertain the Oil Kings today, had lost their previous two games. . . . The Oil Kings are 16-15-5. . . . This was the first meeting of the season between these teams. . . . The Rebels had F Adam Musil back after a three-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . .

At Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped a career-high 49 shots and F Levi Cable scored four times as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-2. . . . Hoflin was making his 24th straight start. . . . A note from Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman: “Should he get the start Sunday afternoon, Hoflin will tie the Kootenay Ice franchise record for consecutive appearances by a goaltender. Todd Mathews set the record with 25 consecutive appearances in net from Jan. 21 to March 14, 2009.” . . . Cable, who has 15 goals, scored the game’s first three goals and added a fourth in the second period to give his side a 5-0 lead. . . . It was Cable’s first regular-season hat trick. . . . Cable also added an assist for his first five-point outing. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau scored his 19th goal. . . . The Ice (19-17-0) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (19-13-3) has lost two straight. . . . The teams meet this afternoon in Calgary. . . . The Ice, which is missing three defencemen, has added D Tanner Lishchynsky, 19, for the next five games. He plays for the SJHL’s Flin Flon Bombers and has played 78 WHL games with the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Ice is without D Tanner Faith and D Dylan Overdyk, both of whom are injured, and D Rinat Valiev, who is with Russia at the World Junior Championship. . . . Calgary D Ben Thomas returned after missing nine games with an undisclosed injury. . . . According to Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, Cable is the eighth player in Ice franchise history to enjoy a four-goal game. . . . Taylor Rocca’s game story is right here.

At Lethbridge, F Zane Jones broke a 5-5 tie at 17:36 of the third period and the Hurricanes held on for a 6-5 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Jones scored twice in this one, giving him 17. He also had an assist. . . . Lethbridge also got two goals from F Jamal Watson, who has 15. . . . The Hurricanes took a 4-2 lead into the third period, only to have the Tigers tie it on two goals by F Alex Mowbray, who has six. . . . Watson gave Lethbridge the lead on a PP at 12:00, only to have D Kyle Becker pull the Tigers even at 5-5 with a PP goal at 16:59. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner stopped 42 shots. . . . The Hurricanes (9-20-5) are on a three-game winning streak. . . . The Tigers (24-9-2), who remain without F Chad Butcher (undisclosed injury), had won their previous two games. . . . There’s a rematch tonight in Medicine Hat. . . .

At Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier, the WHL’s leading goal scorer, hit for two more as the Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-2. . . . Chartier has 34 goals. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie 52 seconds into the third period with his second goal of the game. It turned out to be his ninth game-winner this season. . . . Kelowna F Tyson Baillie scored his 24th goal, while F Cole Linaker had two assists. . . . F Cole Ully scored his 17th goal for the Blazers (13-21-5), who have lost three in a row. . . . The Rockets (29-5-3), who have won 13 straight games with the Blazers, have won three straight. . . . This game started a stretch in which the Rockets will play nine of 11 games at home. . . .

At Victoria, the Prince George Cougars built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Royals. . . . F Zach Pochiro scored twice for the visitors, giving him seven this season. His second of the game, at 16:25 of the second, on a PP, stood up as the winner. . . . F Tyler Soy scored twice for the Royals, giving him 12 in his sophomore season. However, he came up short on a second-period penalty shot. . . . D Tate Olson had two assists for the visitors. . . . Prince George outshot its hosts, 30-19. . . . The Cougars (18-18-0) had lost their previous three games. . . . The Royals ((17-18-3) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . They’ll play again this afternoon in Victoria. . . .

At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Portland Winterhawks 4-3 in a game that featured six first-period goals. . . . The Thunderbirds got out to a 3-1 lead and the Winterhawks never were able to catch up. . . . F Ryan Gropp’s 15th goal, at 19:53 of the first, proved to be the winner. . . . He also had an assist. . . . Seattle D Jerret Smith scored his third goal of the season and added an assist. . . . F Paul Bittner got his 14th goal for the Winterhawks. He also added an assist, while F Alex Schoenborn drew two assists. . . . Portland was 2-for-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-for-5. . . . The Thunderbirds (15-15-4) have won two in a row. . . . Portland (19-15-3) had won its previous two games. . . . F Cody Glass, Portland’s first-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, made his WHL debut. . . . The Winterhawks are at home to Spokane today. . . . The Thunderbirds are in Vancouver this afternoon. . . .

At Everett, F Nikita Scherbak scored on a PP 28 seconds into OT to give the Silvertips a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Scherbak has 16 goals this season. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz stopped 28 shots in posting his second shutout this season. He has eight career shutouts. . . . Vancouver G Cody Porter turned aside 21 shots in making his third straight start. . . . Everett had a 13-5 edge in shots in the first period; Vancouver had the edge, 12-2, in the second. . . . The Silvertips (21-9-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Giants (16-18-1) had a seven-game winning streak end. They had been 6-0-0 under head coach Claude Noel. . . . D Ben Betker (concussion) was back in Everett’s lineup. The Silvertips still are without F Logan Aasman and D Tristen Pfeifer, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Silvertips also sent F Nik Malenica to the junior B Nanaimo Buccaneers of the Vancouver Island Junior League. He was pointless in 11 games with Everett. . . . The Silvertips visit the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . The Giants, who had F Jackson Houck (undisclosed injury) back in the lineup, are at home to Seattle this afternoon. . . .

At Spokane, F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal and two assists to lead the Chiefs to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . He’s got 10 goals. . . . The Chiefs scored the game’s first five goals. . . . Spokane scored two shorthanded goals -- by F Calder Brooks and F Liam Stewart -- and got a PP goal from Yamamoto. . . . Spokane outshot Tri-City, 35-19. . . . Spokane leads the season series, 4-1-0. . . . The Chiefs (19-12-3), who visit Portland today, have won five straight. . . . The Americans (17-16-1) have lost three in a row. Tri-City plays host to Everett tonight.
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Max's first hockey game and he gets stuck next to the Calgary Hitmen section #booooo pic.twitter.com/fNrxRBaOxK
— Old Huntstein (@OldHuntstein) December 28, 2014

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Rockets first to reach conference final

Red Ice Martigny (Switzerland, NL B) exercised its option on F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) for next season. Starkov began the season with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen), picking up 45 points, including 12 goals, in 31 games. He was released over issues involving betting on a game, and signed with Red Ice in January, although the transfer wasn’t approved until playoffs. In three games, he had one goal. He also is suspended for the Swiss federation for the first five games of 2014-15 because of his involvement in the betting scandal.
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Ten hockey thoughts . . .
1. We are living in 2014. How is it that a WHL team, the Moose Jaw Warriors, gets caught up in a debate over a retro logo that obviously is out of place in these times?
2. When TSN analyst Craig Button gets around to doing whatever it is he is going to do to help the Saskatoon Blades in their personnel hunt, will he recommend Mike Gillis as GM?
3. On March 10, the NHL had to prematurely halt a game in the first period after Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed at the bench. The host Stars were trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 at the time. So what was the NHL’s thinking in replaying the entire game, but allowing Columbus to open with a 1-0 lead? Nathan Horton, the goal scorer, is injured and didn’t even make the trip to Dallas, meaning he scored a goal without being in the lineup.
4. Is it just me or have the WHL playoffs, unless you are a follower of the Kootenay Ice, been rather drab? Five of 12 series have ended in sweeps. Only two of eight first-round series went as deep as six games. It could be that only one four second-round series sees a Game 6. Right now, the won-lost record is 56-11. So much for parity.
5. If the Detroit Red Wings get F Henrik Zetterberg back, might they give the Pittsburgh Penguins a run for their money in the first round of the NHL playoffs?
6. Are the Portland Winterhawks headed for a fourth straight appearance in the WHL’s championship final? Only the Flin Flon Bombers (1967-71), Edmonton Oil Kings (1968-72) and New Westminster Bruins (1974-78) have appeared in four straight finals.
7. Is the WHL headed for a third consecutive final series between Portland and Edmonton?
8. If Vancouver fires head coach John Tortorella, might Trevor Linden, a former Medicine Hat Tigers star who now is the Canucks’ president of hockey operations, hire Willie Desjardins? Now the head coach of the AHL’s Texas Stars, Desjardins had success as Medicine Hat’s GM/head coach.
9. Is this the offseason in which the rumours of the impending sale of the Regina Pats actually turn out to be true, and will it be Calgary oil money that ends up owning the franchise?
10. With the NHL’s Calgary Flames searching for a general manager, will Kelly Kisio, the president of hockey operations and alternate governor for the Calgary Hitmen, be on Brian Burke’s radar? If he isn’t, he should be.
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In the spirit of the opening of the MLB season, The Sports Curmudgeon, an old friend of the blog, takes a look at some of the food available at a few of the baseball parks across North American right here. You are advised not to read this on a full stomach. It also is suggested that you not try to duplicate any of these things at home.
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After three tours of duty as an assistant coach, Mark Osiecki is the head coach of the U.S. national junior team that will comp[ete in the 2015 world junior championship. . . . Osiecki, presently an assistant coach with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, was an assistant coach with the team in 2010, 2011 and 2013, winning two gold medals and a bronze. . . . Don Granato, the head coach of the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-17 team, and Kevin Patrick, an assistant coach at the U of Vermont, will work as Osiecki’s assistant coaches. . . . Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s executive director of hockey operations, will be Team USA’s general manager for a sixth consecutive year. . . . The 2015 WJC is scheduled for Montreal and Toronto, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. The U.S. will be in a group with Canada, Finland, Germany and Slovakia. . . . The U.S. will hold its summer evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., Aug. 2-9.
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The USHL has approved an expansion franchise that will play out of Bloomington, Ill., as the Thunder. The franchise is owned by CSH International, which also owns, among many other things, the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and the NAHL’s Amarillo Bulls. Bill Yuill, a familiar face in WHL circles, is CEO of CSH International, while Gary Gelinas, the Silvertips’ president and governor, is the president of CSH.
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F Spencer Kryczka has committed to Princeton U. Kryczka, who turned 19 on March 13, was selected by the Red Deer Rebels in the third round of the 2010 WHL bantam drafat. A native of Calgary, he finished this season with the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, after playing more than two seasons with the Okotoks Oilers. This season, he had 25 points, including 12 goals, in 48 games.
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If you are a follower of the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, you should know that there’s a new blog out there that will endeavour to keep you up to date on happenings. You will find it right here. There also is a link to it over there on the right.
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F Graham Black of the Swift Current Broncos has signed an ATO with the Albany Devils, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Black, who played out his junior eligibility this season, was a fifth-round selection by the Devils in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . From Regina, Black had 97 points, 34 of them goals, in 69 games with the Broncos this season.
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For today’s good read, we take you to grantland.com and a piece by Charles P. Pierce about the NFL’s Washington Redskins and their owner, Dan Snyder. It is the owner, of course, who refuses to do away with what Pierce refers to as being “racially vicious.” . . . That piece is right here.
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And here is a longer read for you, as Charlie Gillis of Maclean's magazine takes a look at the ugliness that seems to have entrenched itself into some areas of Canadian minor hockey. Gillis paints anything but a pretty picture; in fact, it’s likely worse than even you suspect. That piece is right here. A shower is suggested for after you have read it.
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G Eric Williams of the Spokane Chiefs has signed with the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. Williams, 20, went 33-19-4, 2.67, .906 with the Chiefs this season, his fourth in the WHL. The Eagles, who have a playoff spot under wraps, began a three-game series with the visiting Alaska Aces last night. . . . The Eagles head coach is Chris Stewart, who did a turn as head coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders back in the day.
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THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Edmonton leads, 3-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 5 (5,899)
Saturday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 3 (7,115)
Tuesday: Edmonton 5 at Brandon 2 (3,522)
Wednesday: Edmonton 2 at Brandon 5 (3,246)
Friday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, day-to-day; D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Brandon: G Curtis Honey, day-to-day.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Kootenay leads, 2-1)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay 4 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,750)
Sunday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 5 (3,755)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,461)
Thursday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Monday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
(Kelowna wins, 4-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle 2 at Kelowna 6 (4,581)
Saturday: Seattle 3 at Kelowna 6 (5,675)
Tuesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 4 (5,029)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 2 (2,219)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite; F Jaimen Yakubowski, day-to-day.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Portland leads, 3-1)
(Series televised by Shaw-TV in Canada;
Games 6 and 7, if necessary, on Comcast SportsNet in Portland area)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria 2 at Portland 8 (6,152)
Saturday: Victoria 3 at Portland 6 (10,947)
Monday: Portland 1 at Victoria 2 (6,505)
Tuesday: Portland 4 at Victoria 3 (6,745)
Thursday: Victoria at Portland (Moda Center), 7, p.m.
x-Saturday: Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday: Victoria at Portland (Veterans Memorial Coliseum), 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Victoria: None.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

In Cranbrook, F Levi Cable scored three times to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 3-1 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Ice leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 in Cranbrook tonight. . . . Cable, who has six playoff goals, broke a 1-1 tie with a shorthanded goal at 16:38 of the third period, then added an empty-netter at 19:09. . . . Cable, a 19-year-old from Hudson Bay, Sask., had opened the scoring at 9:03 of the second period. . . . Medicine Hat F Curtis Valk tied the game, with his seventh goal, at 7:40 of the third. . . . Cable, in his third season with the Ice, scored 10 goals in 70 regular-season games. WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) tweeted that Cable scored three goals in 45 games between Nov. 30 and March 24. Since March 25, Cable has six goals in as many games. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had two assists, his first points of the series, and now leads all playoff scorers in assists (14) and points (19). . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski turned aside 39 shots, 12 more than the Tigers’ Marek Langhamer. . . . Kootenay was 0-for-4 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-3.


 In Kent, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with four straight goals and went on to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2. . . . The Rockets won the series, 4-0, giving them an 8-1 record in these playoffs. . . . The Rockets finished atop the overall standings so are the No. 1 seed through the playoffs. They now await the winner of the other Western Conference semifinal, between the No. 2 Portland Winterhawks and No. 3 Victoria Royals. The Winterhawks take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 tonight in Portland. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear opened the scoring at 14:22 of the first period, on a PP. . . . Kelowna D Damon Severson, who had 11 points, including four goals, in the four games, tied it at 16:11 of the second period and F Cole Linaker gave Kelowna the lead at 18:14. . . . Severson and Linaker each have four goals in these playoffs. . . . Kelowna F Marek Tvrdon got his fifth at 12:46 and F Tyson Baillie added his third, on the PP, at 15:00. . . . Seattle F Sam McKechnie scored his first goal at 15:12, but Kelowna F Nick Merkley got an empty-netter at 19:33. . . . The Rockets were 2-for-5 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-7. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 42 shots, as did Seattle’s Taran Kozun. . . . Seattle D Evan Wardley didn’t finish the game and was on crutches with a leg injury.


In Brandon, F Jens Meilleur broke a 2-2 tie with a third-period shorthanded goal and the Wheat Kings, getting 49 saves from G Jordan Papirny, went on to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . The Oil Kings lead the series 3-1 with Game 5 scheduled for Friday in Edmonton. . . . Edmonton had won seven straight games in these playoffs. . . . Papirny has stopped 181 shots in the four games. He will celebrate his 18th birthday today; perhaps his teammates should buy him breakfast, lunch and dinner. . . . F Richard Nejezchleb scored his fourth goal of the playoffs, at 6:04 of the first period, to give Brandon its first lead of the series. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett tied it at 9:37, with Brandon F Tim McGauley restoring the lead at 11:35. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci, who had six goals in 63 regular-season games, tied it again, at 7:47 of the second period, with his third playoff goal. . . . Meilleur scored at 6:32 of the third, with F John Quenneville adding insurance at 11:28 and Nejezchleb, who also had an assist, getting an empty-netter during a PP. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 26 shots. . . . Brandon was 1-for-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-4.


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