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HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to @myles_mattila12 as he receives a $500 Scholarship from @HockeyCanada at the @HC_TELUSCup National Championship!— Cariboo Cougars (@cariboocougars) April 30, 2017
If you don’t recognize the name Myles Mattila, you should get to a computer and do a search.
While his Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars won’t play in the TELUS Cup final today (Sunday), Mattila is a winner because of his dedication to spreading the word on mental health.
From a hockeycanada.ca story by Derek Jory:
“(Mattila) began volunteering at a local mental health office and participating in youth programs, and he’s now a mental health advocate for Mindcheck.ca, partners with the Canadian Mental Health Association and the driving force behind Mindright.info, a health wellness program designed to educate Cariboo Cougars players, coaches, parents, and supporters about their mental health and the health of others.”
Why did Mattila get so involved in this issue? All because he noticed a few years ago that a long-time friend was struggling.
“It was tough seeing such a good friend go through that and not knowing what was wrong,” Mattila told Jory. “He needed help and it was eye-opening for me not knowing what to do. I realized he likely wasn’t alone in this situation and I vowed to figure out how to help him and anyone else struggling with mental health issues.”
On Saturday, Mattila spoke about mental health awareness at the TELUS Cup awards dinner in Prince George, where he is a Grade 12 student. He also received a $500 Esso Kids Scholarship Award from Hockey Canada.
Remember his name. You're going to be hearing a lot about him down the road.
Remember his name. You're going to be hearing a lot about him down the road.
Jory’s story about Mattila is right here.
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The WHL could have its Ed Chynoweth Cup finalists decided today (Sunday) when the conference finals resume.
In the Eastern Conference, the Regina Pats hold a 3-2 lead on the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the Western Conference, the Seattle Thunderbirds take a 3-2 edge into Kelowna to face the Rockets.
The Hurricanes, who lost 5-3 in Regina on Friday, almost surely will be without F Matt Alfaro, a point-a-game skater who hasn’t played since April 4. F Ryan Bowen, meanwhile, has been in and out of the lineup; he was scratched Friday so obviously is banged up.
The Thunderbirds continue to play without Rylan Toth, who led all WHL goaltenders with 36 regular-season victories. He hasn’t dressed for even one playoff game.
In Toth’s absence, Carl Stankowski, a Calgarian who turned 17 on March 9, has gone 11-2, 2.60, .911. In the regular season, Stankowski played in 358 minutes over seven games, going 3-0-1, 2.18, .910. In the playoffs, he has played 785 minutes over 13 games.
The Thunderbirds are likely to be without D Ethan Bear, who suffered an injury to his left hand when he blocked a shot by Kelowna F Reid Gardiner late in Game 3 on Tuesday. Taking Note has been told that Bear has a broken hand.
Bear didn’t play in Wednesday’s 4-2 loss in Kelowna. He took the warmup prior to Seattle’s 5-3 victory in Kent, Wash., on Friday, but had difficulties handling the puck and was scratched.
Obviously, Bear is a big loss for the Thunderbirds. After all, he put up 70 points, including 28 goals, in 67 regular-season games, and has 16 points, five of them goals, in 11 playoff games.
But it could be that Kelowna misses D James Hilsendager almost as much. Hilsendager, who turned 20 on March 20, left in the first period of Game 4 with an undisclosed injury and was scratched from Friday’s game.
He had three assists in 18 games with the Regina Pats, before being dealt to the Rockets for whom he recorded 24 points, six of them goals, in 46 games. In 15 playoff games, he has a goal and two assists.
However, his value to the Rockets is much more than offence. In his time with the Rockets, he only improved. He has been a stellar defender who added a physical presence to their back end.
It’s only right that Bear’s absence has gotten a lot of notice; after all, he was a fifth-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 draft and he has an NHL contract in his hip pocket.
But could it be that Hilsendager’s absence will be just as impactful if he can’t answer the bell for Game 6?
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A run-in between F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes and F Dawson Leedahl of the Regina Pats late in Game 4 of their series drew some attention but no suspensions.
The two came together in a scrum at 16:15 of the third period of the game in Lethbridge and, when it was all over, Wong was claiming that he had been bitten by Leedahl.
Here’s what Wong told Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“It was in the heat of the moment. He made a mistake. I initiated some contact there. That’s part of hockey, the scrums. I hit him high and I feel bad. I’m not a cheap player. I don’t like hitting guys high. I’ll be physical. I’ll play on the edge. So does he.
“He has laid out some big hits on me. I saw an opportunity to get a hit on him. My finger slipped in his mouth and, I don’t know if he meant to or not, but he took a good chunk out of my finger. I had to go and get a tetanus shot and go on antibiotics. That’s not really part of hockey and I think he would take it back if he could.
“It’s behind us and I don’t hold grudges. I’ll come out and play the same way against him as I do against any other player.”
“It’s behind us and I don’t hold grudges. I’ll come out and play the same way against him as I do against any other player.”
Leedahl and Wong each was given a roughing minor and that was the end of it, at least as far as the WHL is concerned.
However, Wong, a 51-goal scorer in the regular season, has only two assists in the five games against Regina, both of those coming in a 3-1 Lethbridge victory in Game 3. He hasn’t scored a goal since he got two, including the shorthanded OT winner, in the Game 7 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers that vaulted the Hurricanes into the conference final.
The Hurricanes are hoping their captain breaks out in Game 6 at home today.
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The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada advanced to the QMJHL’s championship final on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over the host Charlottetown Islanders. The Armada won that series, 4-1. . . . It was an emotional game for the Islanders because the father of Charlottetown F Dillon Boucher died on Friday night. “There’s always a bigger picture at play,” Charlottetown general manager and head coach Jim Hulton said in a story posted on the QMJHL website. “This is still a game and yeah, it hurts like hell that we lost, but not anything near the magnitude of what Dillon and his family are going through.” . . . The Armada will meet either the Saint John Sea Dogs or Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the championship series. The Sea Dogs hold a 3-2 lead with Game 6 today (Sunday) in Chicoutimi.
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Great Britain, including former WHL F Liam Stewart, beat Japan 4-0 on Saturday to win the IIHF World Championship, Division 1 Group B, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the victory, Great Britain earned promotion to Division 1 Group A for next season. Stewart, who played four seasons (2011-15) with the Spokane Chiefs, had two goals and an assist in three games. . . . Great Britain, which allowed only five goals, went 5-0, while Japan finished 4-1. . . . Croatia, under head coach Enio Sacilotto of the Victoria Royals, finished at 1-4 and was fifth in the six-team tournament. The Croats allowed only 17 goals, but struggled to score (14). . . . Lithuania beat Croatia, 3-1, in the third-place game. . . . Sacilotto is the Royals’ director of prospect development and has extensive international coaching experience.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Seattle at Kelowna, 5:05 p.m. (Seattle leads, 3-2)
Regina at Lethbridge, 6 p.m. (Regina leads, 3-2)
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playoffs each season. But in those playoffs, they went 2-15 and were first-round losers each time.
Sabres. Reinhart, the second overall pick in the NHL’s 2014 draft, opened the season by playing nine games with Buffalo. He went on to help Canada win the 2015 World Junior Championship. In 47 regular-season games with the Ice, he had 65 points, including 19 goals. . . . F Tim Bozon was sent by the Montreal Canadiens to their AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Bozon, who has used up his junior eligibility, was a third-round pick by the Canadiens in the 2012 NHL draft and he has signed with Montreal. This season, Bozon had 63 points, including 35 goals, in 57 regular-season games. . . . D Rinat Valiev will join the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Valiet, who turns 20 on May 11, was selected by the Maple Leafs in the third round of the NHL’s 2014 draft. He had 46 points, nine of them goals, in 52 regular-season games with the Ice this season. He also played for Russia at the 2015 World Junior Championship. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau of the Ice, who was fifth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL’s 2014 draft, is joining the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. He has yet to sign with the Blues. This season he had 81 points, 34 of them goals, in 70 games this season.
McDavid plays.
highest revenue isn't always derived from the prime seats. But here is a cautionary note: Leading up to the 1985-86 season, the Regina Exhibition Association imposed a $1 parking fee. It was a nominal cost, but customers nonetheless balked and sub-2,000 crowds quickly became the norm. The owner, Saskatoon-based Herb Pinder Jr., quickly became fed up and sold the team — which was perilously close to moving to Swift Current. And it was all over a dollar.
In Swift Current, the Regina Pats scored three times in the third period and beat the Broncos, 4-1. . . . Regina F Jake Leschyshyn scored his second WHL goal at 17:22 of the first period. . . . Broncos F Jay Merkley got his 16th goal of the season at 18:49 of the first. . . . Regina F Pavel Padakin broke the tie with his 25th goal at 6:40 of the third. . . . The Pats then got insurance when F Jesse Gabrielle scored twice, at 6:50 and 12:16, the latter via the PP. . . . Gabrielle has 23 goals. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs had two assists. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 29 shots, six more than the Broncos’ Landon Bow. . . . Regina was 1-for-1 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-for-5. . . . The Broncos had GM/head coach Mark Lamb back on the bench after a two-game absence. He spent Friday night in hospital in Swift Current and missed a game in Moose Jaw. He was released from hospital on Saturday, but didn’t go to Brandon for a game that night against the Wheat Kings. . . . Regina F Braden Christoffer took a major and game misconduct for a hit from behind on F Carter Rigby at 8:01 of the first period. . . . The Pats were without freshman F Sam Steel, who suffered a leg injury in their previous game. . . . Regina (36-22-9) had lost its previous two games. . . . The Broncos (30-32-5) have lost seven straight. . . . 
In Red Deer, F Brooks Maxwell scored four times to lead the Rebels to a 6-4 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Rebels scored the game’s first two goals and the Blades were chasing all night. . . . F Scott Feser scored his 14th, via the PP, at 4:26 and Maxwell made it 2-0 with a shorthanded goal at 12:21. . . . Maxwell added his second goal at 17:51 on a PP, then got No. 3 at 4:10 of the third. He added his fourth goal, and 25th of the season, at 10:16. . . . Maxwell had never had a three-goal night in the WHL. . . . Feser finished with two goals, the second one shorthanded. . . . Red Deer F Riley Sheen had three assists, with D Nelson Nogier and F Wyatt Johnson each earning two. . . . The Blades made it close with two goals by F Cameron Hebig, who has 18, in the latter half of the third period. . . . F Ryan Graham had two assists for Saskatoon. . . . Red Deer was 2-for-3 on the PP; Saskatoon was 1-for-2 with two shorties against. . . . Red Deer G Rylan Toth stopped 26 shots, seven fewer than Saskatoon’s Nik Amundrud. . . . Red Deer had F Evan Polei back in the lineup. He last played on Jan. 24. . . . The Rebels (36-21-10) have won four in a row. . . . The Blades (19-45-4) have lost five straight. . . . 
In Kamloops, the Blazers broke a 3-3 tie with two goals late in the second period and went on to beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-4. . . . Former Cougars D Marc (Jimmy) McNulty snapped the 3-3 tie with his eighth goal at 18:52 of the second, and F Nick Chyzowski made it 5-3 with his fifth goal with 37.1 seconds left in the period. McNulty drew an assist on Chyzowski’s goal. . . . Cougars F Brad Morrison had scored his 22nd goal at 17:19 to get the visitors even. . . . Cougars F Chase Witala got his guys to within one with his 34th goal just 45 seconds into the third. . . . Kamloops F Jesse Zaharichuk restored the two-goal lead with his third goal at 15:15 and F Matt Revel hit the empty net at 18:04. . . . Kamloops F Cole Ully continued his terrific season with his 33rd goal and two assists. He’s got 87 points in 63 games. . . . Blazers F Matt Needham had two assists and was plus-4. . . . After a four-game absence, Kamloops F Deven Sideroff was back on the right wing alongside Needham and Ully. . . . Cougars D Tomas Andrlik scored his fourth goal and added two assists. . . . Kamloops was 1-for-2 on the PP; the Cougars were 0-for-6. . . . The Blazers (26-34-7) had lost their previous game. . . .The Cougars (28-34-5) had points in six straight (5-0-1). . . . 
In Everett, the Portland Winterhawks erased an early 1-0 deficit with six straight goals as they beat the Silvertips, 6-1. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl scored his 14th goal at 3:18 of the first period. . . . D Keoni Texeira tied it with his seventh at 8:29 and it was all Portland from there. . . . F Oliver Bjorkstrand broke the tie with his WHL-leading 53rd goal at 11:39. . . . D Adam Henry scored twice in the second period, giving him eight this season. . . . F Nic Petan added his 12th at 127:46 of the second. Petan’s previous 21 points all had been assists. He also had two assists in this one, giving him 68 helpers in 47 games. . . . Bjorkstrand later scored No. 54. He was playing in his 52nd game. . . . He also has 99 points, one off the lead in the scoring race. . . . Portland F Keegan Iverson and F Evan Weinger each had two assists. . . . When the season began, you may not have predicted that a game of this magnitude would feature two freshman goaltenders — Carter Hart for the Silvertips and Adin Hill for the Winterhawks. . . . Hill stopped 27 shots. Hart surrendered four goals on 23 shots before being replaced by Austin Lotz with Portland ahead 4-1 at 12:04 of the second. . . . Portland was 1-for-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-3. . . . Portland (40-20-5) is 9-0-2 in its last 11 outings. . . . Everett (40-20-7) had won its previous three games. . . . Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald has a game story 
In Kelowna, F Tyler Soy score three times to lead the Victoria Royals to a 6-3 victory over the Rockets. . . . It was the first time this season that the Rockets had given up as many as six goals in one game. . . . Soy, who has 27 goals, broke a 2-2 tie at 14:29 of the second period. He scored again at 1:36 of the third, on a PP, for a 4-2 lead and completed his second hat trick of the season at 16:29 of the third period with the game’s final goal. . . . D Joe Hicketts, F Jack Walker and F Greg Chase each had two assists for Victoria. . . . F Nick Merkley scored twice for the Rockets, giving him 20 this season. . . . Victoria was 2-for-2 on the PP; the Rockets were 0-for-3. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 44 shots, 24 more than Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle. . . . The Rockets again were without F Rourke Chartier and D Josh Morrissey. Also missing were F Justin Kirkland and F Gage Quinney. . . . Former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma was on the ice with the Rockets on Tuesday. He and Rockets head coach Dan Lambert are friends. They both were selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 1989 draft and later played together with the IHL’s Long Beach Ice Dogs. . . . The Royals (36-27-4) have won two straight. . . . The Rockets (50-12-5) were 2-0-1 in their last three games.
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