Seattle captain gets AHL deal ... Warriors' pick signs with Lightning ... WHL flavour to conference

Today's Malcolm pic.twitter.com/XuifFqkIIu

— Edmonton Journal (@edmontonjournal) July 1, 2017

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D Filip Novák (Regina, 1999-2002) has signed a one-year extension with České Budějovice (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had two goals and four assists in 14 games there last season. Novák started last season with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga), scoring a goal and adding two assists in nine games, then moved to Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL), where he had three assists in 11 games. . . .

F Linden Vey (Medicine Hat, 2006-11) has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Last season, he was pointless in four games with the Calgary Flames (NHL). In 61 games with the Stockton Heat (AHL), he had 15 goals and a team-high 40 assists. . . .

D Darren Dietz (Saskatoon, 2009-13) has signed a one-year contract with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). Last season, he had six goals and six assists in 39 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL), and had two assists in 13 games with the Texas Stars (AHL) 13. . . .

F Radek Duda (Regina, Lethbridge, 1998-2000) has signed a one-year extension with Freiburg (Germany, DEL2). Last season, he had 18 goals and 29 assists in 48 games.

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F Scott Eansor, who played out his junior eligibility in winning a WHL title with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season, went to the New York Islanders’ development camp without a contract. On Saturday, he signed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ AHL affiliate, for 2017-18. . . . Eansor played four seasons with the Thunderbirds, totalling 129 points, including 47 goals, in 219 games. Last season, the native of Englewood, Colo., captained the Thunderbirds and had 18 goals and 20 assists in 40 games, then added five goals and seven assists in 20 playoff games.

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The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have signed D Oleg Sosunov, 19, to a three-year entry-level contract. He was a sixth-round selection in the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . On Wednesday, the Moose Jaw Warriors picked Sosunov, who is from Ryazan, Russia, in the CHL’s import draft. . . . Interestingly, the Tampa Bay news release on Sosunov’s signing doesn’t mention the Warriors. . . . The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Sosunov was pointless in 32 games with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (MHL) last season.

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There will be a real WHL flavour to the annual Hockey Coaches Conference when it runs in Vancouver, July 14-15.

At least five of the presenting coaches have ties to the WHL.

Glen Gulutzan, the head coach of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, played with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades. His presentation is entitled ‘Motivating your team by creating a vision.’

Richard Matvichuk, the head coach of the Prince George Cougars, is to present on teaching puck retrieval and breakout skills. He spent three seasons (1989-92) as a defenceman with the Blades.

Jamie Kompon, an assistant coach with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, spent two seasons as the Portland Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach. His presentation is: Details of the game — A breakdown of some essential skills.

Jay Varady, the head coach of the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, will present on technology in coaching. He is a former Everett Silvertips assistant coach.

Craig Cunningham, who played with the Vancouver Giants and the Winterhawks, now is a pro scout with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. He will speak on the impact of coaches.

For more info on the conference, click right here.

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Competition for Canucks' bottom six spots continues as season opens

VANCOUVER -- The 2014-15 NHL season may have started for the Vancouver Canucks, but there still are decisions to be made.
At the conclusion of last season, many observers believed the team needed to get younger. The Canucks' management also had been open about doing so.
So, signs pointed to the Canucks giving London Knights forward Bo Horvat, whom they had taken with the ninth-overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft, every chance to make the roster. (Let's not forget that they traded goaltender Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils for that ninth selection.)
But with Vancouver being arguably the most active team in the off-season, it was apparent that the 19-year-old was in tough to earn a spot.
Especially when the Canucks acquired forward Linden Vey from the Los Angeles Kings for the 50th pick in the 2014 draft.
Vey is listed as a right-winger, but can play at centre, the same position as Horvat.
Things didn't look like they were headed in the right direction for Horvat, as he finished without a single point at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C.
Despite that, the Canucks' management wanted to see more of Horvat, and listed him on the pre-season roster.
 Canucks' head coach Willie Desjardins was impressed, even though he only had one goal in five games.
However, they needed to be down to 23 players for their opening night roster. A  decision needed to made on Horvat -- either he was going to stick with the team or be re-assigned to the Knights.
Wait, not so fast.
 When the Canucks visited the Edmonton Oilers for a pre-season game on Oct. 2, Horvat suffered a shoulder injury when he was hit by Oilers' forward Tyler Pitlick at 18:18 of the first period.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, junior-aged players who are injured don't take up a roster spot, meaning Vancouver doesn't have to make a decision on Horvat just yet.
 With Horvat out, that gave someone else the spotlight.
The Canucks were also happy with the play of  Shawn Matthias at centre.
“Maybe the light came on for the coaching staff to put him in the middle,” a joking Desjardins said after Monday's practice. “I don't know. He played pretty well in the middle, he played better when (he was) in the middle. You've got to like that. Like, if you get him excited and confident, I think he can add to us. When he played in the middle, he played better.”
Yes, even more competition for Horvat.
“I think (Horvat) has played real well,” Desjardins said. “I do, I think he's played well. He's proven that he is sound defensively, he's a heavier-body guy. This injury is not what he needed at this time, though. That's a move for him because now the other guys have a step ahead and now he's got to come back. How he comes back from that, we'll wait to see. But what he did before, yeah, I thought he was pretty good.”
Horvat may have played well, but Desjardins is only worried about the players who are in the line-up.
“I've always said with the team, it's not who is out, but the ones who are in that counts,” he said. said. “The guys who are in are the guys that have to win it for you. So, whoever it is, that group has to find a way to win.”
As well, players may exceed expectations in the pre-season, but that doesn't mean the assessments are accurate.
“You can't tell,” Desjardins stated. “Because if their minds aren't in it, then you can't judge from the pre-season because of that. It's so competitive and so close that you have to be 100 per cent in it for us to see. We'll see right at the start, though.
“This will be the group that we start with, We're excited about the group. The guys have worked hard, and they're looking ahead to the regular season. We'll see what we've got. The group has worked hard.”
He got his first shot to see what the Canucks have when they visited the Calgary Flames for their season-opener on Wednesday.
The hard work paid off as Vancouver defeated the Flames, 4-2, which marked the first time it got a victory on opening night after five straight losses.
“Well, I think it's great,” Desjardins said after the game. “Calgary plays hard like a real tough game. To come on the road and get a win, it's always important.”
Vey was on the third line, flanked by forwards Zack Kassian and Brad Richardson. Vey finished with an assist on a goal scored by Kassian at 5:16 of the second period.
Matthias, on the other hand, failed to get on the scoresheet, and finished with a minus-2.
“I felt what was really important was that we were able to use our whole team,” Desjardins said. “Everybody played, and everybody contributed . . . and that was important.”
Horvat couldn't contribute, and will have to prove himself again once he returns to the lineup.
NOTES: Canucks' D Kevin Bieksa (shoulder) was a game-time decision and dressed in place of D Yannik Weber. . . . Flames F Sean Monahan (ill) also was a game-time decision and ended up playing. He finished with an assist and was plus-1. . . . Canucks' D Alexander Edler had a minus-2 rating. . . . Vancouver forwards Henrik and Daniel Sedin combined for three points. . . . Desjardins got his first NHL coaching victory. . . . The Canucks will play host to the Edmonton Oilers in their home-opener on Saturday.

(Dickson Liong is Taking Note’s Vancouver correspondent. Follow him on Twitter at @DLLiong.)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Mark Santorelli (Chilliwack, 2006-08) signed a one-year contract with Tingsryd (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had eight goals and 13 assists in 64 games with Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) last season. . . . Santorelli won the WHL scoring title with 101 points in 2007-08.
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The Los Angeles Kings have assigned F Linden Vey, 20, the WHL’s defending scoring champion, to the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs. . . . Vey could still be returned to the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Meanwhile, the Tigers got F Emerson Etem, 19, back from the Anaheim Ducks. . . . The St. Louis Blues have sent D Brett Ponich, 20, to the AHL’s Peoria Rivermen. He is signed but could still be returned to the Portland Winterhawks.
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SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
The host Tri-City Americans built up a 5-0 lead and hung on to beat the Portland Winterhawks, 6-5. . . . Tri-City F Connor Rankin turned a 2-0 lead into 5-0 when he scored three times in the space of 1:53 in the first three minutes of the second period. . . . Rankin also had an assist, while Tri-City F Adam Hughesman had four helpers. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two goals and an assist and now has six points in two games. . . . G Eric Comrie went the distance for the Americans. He stopped 32 shots, including 12 of 13 in the third period. . . . The Winterhawks, playing their third game in as many nights, opened with Brendan Burke in goal. Mac Carruth came on at 2:16 of the second period with his side trailing 4-0. . . .
In Red Deer, F Adam Kambeitz, the team captain, scored the game’s last two goals as the Rebels erased a 3-1 second-period deficit and beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 4-3 in OT. . . . Kambeitz scored his third goal of the season at 1:24 of extra time. . . . The Oil Kings held a 3-1 lead early in the second period when they were handed six straight minor penalties — they faced three 5-on-3s. The Rebels scored two PP goals, 1:01 apart, to tie the game. . . . Red Deer D Alex Petrovic, just back from the camp of the Florida Panthers, had three assists. . . . Red Deer F Turner Elson (upper body) didn’t play. . . . Yes, it’s the first week of the regular season and we’re into upper- and lower-body injuries. . . . By the way, Wayne Gretzky spent some time in Edmonton last week and left a note for the Oil Kings before he left. That’s it in the above photo.
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Last week, the BCHL suspended a player for 20 games for a hit that resulted in another player suffering a broken jaw.
So it will be interesting to see how it handles a line brawl that broke out Friday in a game between the Cowichan Valley Capitals and Victoria Grizzlies.
Now normally I wouldn’t write a word on something like this, but it happened to involve battling goaltenders -- Jamie Tucker, a former WHLer who is with the Grizzlies, and Derek Dun of the Capitals.
Dun’s post-fight comments to Don Bodger of the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial are just too good to ignore.
“That’s my first one,” Dun told Bodger. “It was on my bucket list.
“I’ve always wanted to do it. I never thought it was going to happen.”
If Dun spelled his surname Dunn, you might think he was related to Dickie Dunn.
“I heard (Tucker) broke his hand,” Dun continued. “He was hitting the ice most of the time. He got a couple of good shots, nothing too drastic.”
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Conversation from a recent night:
Reporter to WHL team owner: What’s it cost to take a bus over to Vancouver Island?
Owner: It used to be $150, so it might be about $300 now.
Reporter to WHL team general manager: How much does it cost to take you bus over to Vancouver Island?
GM: Oh, likely about $1,200 or $1,300.
Owner: WHAT!
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Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist has some observations right here on the Victoria Royals’ home-opener in which they beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3, on Saturday.
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For today’s good read, we bring you Jack Todd in the Montreal Gazette. You won’t agree with everything he writes, but his Monday column always is an interesting read. It’s right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Bartley gets deal with Preds

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jordan Krestanovich (Calgary, 1997-2001) signed a one-year contract extension with Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). He had 16 goals and 34 assists in 43 games for the Clan this season. . . .
D Robby Sandrock (Spokane, Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Kelowna, 1994-99) and F Jonathan Filewich (Prince George, Lethbridge, 1999-2005) signed one-year contract extensions with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). Sandrock had 11 goals and 13 assists in 50 games, while Filewich had 13 goals and 10 assists in 44 games for Zagreb this season. . . .
D Jakub Cutta (Swift Current, 1998-2001) signed a one-year contract with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had three goals and eight assists in 49 games with Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .
F Daniel Bohac (Spokane, 1998-2000) signed a two-year-plus-option contract with Slovan Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had nine goals and 10 assists in 52 games with Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season. . . .
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VICTOR BARTLEY

MORE FROM THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Victor Bartley (Kamloops, Regina, 2003-09) has signed a two-year, two-way contract with the NHL’s Nashville Predators.
According to a Malmö hockey blog:
“Djurgården confirmed that it loses Vic Bartley to the NHL, nothing is official. But tonight, Vic Bartley himself confirms it to MrMadhawk.se. ‘I don't know how you always know my club address,’ laughs Vic. ‘But the deal is now entirely done and I have signed a two-year contract with Nashville and it is a two-way contract.’ ”
From Djurgården's website:
“D-man Victor Bartley leaves Djurgården to play in the NHL — without having played a game with the club. Djurgarden earlier signed a contract with Rögle defenseman Victor Bartley. NHL clubs showed an interest in the Canadian and Bartley has now informed Djurgarden that he will sign with an NHL club in the near future. The agreement between the NHL and Swedish hockey gives NHL clubs the right to solicit even contracted players within certain time limits, as used in this case. ‘We were very pleased with the recruitment of Victor Bartley, but we have to accept the rules of the game and there is nothing we can do to prevent this. This changes the requirements of our defense and now we wonder how we can remedy the situation,’ said Djurgården Hockey's general manager Janne Järlefelt.”
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The Los Angeles Kings have signed F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers to a three-year NHL contract. Vey, who won the WHL’s scoring race this season, was a fourth-round selection in the NHL’s 2009 draft. He had 116 points, including 46 goals, as he won the scoring crown in his fourth season with the Tigers. He added 25 points, 12 of them goals, in 15 playoff games.
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The Prince Albert Raiders held a membership meeting last week and Drew Wilson, the team’s play-by-play voice, was there. His report, from paNOW.com, is right here. Of particular interest is that the organization has a $2 million budget for next season with a projected profit of $30,318.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Saturday . . .

THE CHILLIWACK/VICTORIA BRUINS:
WHL officials have long said they wouldn’t go back to Vancouver Island unless there were two teams there. That, of course, means Victoria and Nanaimo.
Numerous reports have indicated that the Victoria deal is done — the Chilliwack Bruins have been sold and will be relocated. (With the Bruins having been eliminated from the playoffs Saturday night, there aren’t any tickets to be sold in Chilliwack, so perhaps news will be forthcoming.)
But what of Nanaimo?
"The biggest stumbling block that Nanaimo has is the city doesn't have an adequate facility," Ken Wagner, who owns a piece of the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers, told Walter Cordery of the Nanaimo Daily News. "It's great news for hockey fans but I don't think it will affect us here in Nanaimo much at all. We haven't had any contact with the WHL but we know they have always said they would prefer to establish a second Island franchise if they were going to return to Victoria."
So what of a new facility for Nanaimo?
John Ruttan, the mayor of Nanaimo, told Cordery that he would love to have the WHL in his city but “not if they expect city taxpayers to underwrite the cost of a new arena."
Cordery’s story is right here.
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Glen Sonmor is one of the grand guys of hockey, and you can bet he has done and seen it all. Sonmor is 81 now and they’ll gather at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub in St. Paul, Minn., on Monday evening to honour Sonmor and maybe tell a tale or two. Maybe Sonmor will flash back to his days with the Brandon Wheat Kings when the fans would gather at the train station and serenade the team with When Irish Eyes are Smiling.
Anyway . . . Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press has today’s good read, a feature look at Sonmor, and it’s a good one. It’s right here.
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From Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal:
DJ Bowen in Jasper has been working overtime to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Jasper Arena and he has the Oil Kings playing Prince George in an exhibition game there on Sept. 9. In 1961, the Oil Kings played the Edmonton Flyers to open the building. Glen Sather played for the Oil Kings that game and Doug Messier for the Flyers, and they’ll be hanging their jerseys in the arena to salute that long-ago game. Sather and Messier might not be there, but hopefully they can send video messages. They’re bringing in some of the players from those teams — Gregg Pilling and Vince Downey have committed as ex Oil Kings and they might get Roger Dejordy who played for the Flyers that day. They’re having a banquet on Sept. 8 with the NHL’s icemaker Dan Craig as guest speaker.
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The Kelowna Rockets and Portland Winterhawks will meet in the second round of the playoffs. That series will open games Thursday and April 10 in Portland’s Rose Garden. . . . The Rockets will welcome back F Evan Bloodoff, who missed the four-game sweep of the Prince George Cougars as he served a four-game suspension. . . . The other Western Conference semifinal will feature the Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans. It will begin with games Saturday and April 10 in Spokane. . . . F Landon Ferraro of the Everett Silvertips took a cross-checking major at the end of their last playoff game against the Portland Winterhawks. He drew a one-game suspension, so will sit out the first game of next season should he be back in the WHL as a 20-year-old. . . . F Justin Dowling, who played this season with the Swift Current Broncos, scored his first pro goal Saturday night, giving the host Abbotsford Heat a 1-0 AHL victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins. Dowling’s third-period PP goal stood up as former Everett Silvertips G Leland Irving record his sixth shutout of the season.
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Some notes from the Chiefs on their upcoming series with the Tri-City Americans:
The Chiefs won the 12-game season series against the Americans, 7-5-0. At one point, Spokane had won five in a row in the series. Tri-City earned a victory in the last game of the season by a 6-4 score on Saturday, March 19.
The match-up will be the fifth time the two franchises have met in the post-season and the first time since a seven-game Western Conference Championship series in 2008. That series featured five overtime games, including three that went into double overtime. Spokane won Game 7 in Kennewick and advanced to win the WHL final and Memorial Cup.
The Chiefs have won the last three playoff series between the two after the Americans earned a seven-game victory in 1995. The Chiefs won in four games and in five games in the first round in 2000 and 2002, respectively.
SPOKANE AND TRI-CITY PLAYOFF HISTORY
1995: Tri-City wins second-round series 4-3
2000: Spokane wins first-round series 4-0
2002: Spokane wins first-round series 4-1
2008: Spokane wins Western Conference final 4-3
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SATURDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Saskatoon, D Duncan Siemens, who was a game-time decision, had a goal and three assists as the Blades skated to an 8-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . The Blades hold a 3-2 edge in the series going into Game 6 tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Siemens left Game 4 with a lower-body injury and it wasn’t know whether he would play in Game 5 until he took the pregame skate. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 30 shots. . . . Saskatoon scored six second-period goals, four of them on the PP, after a scoreless first period. . . . The Blades outshot the Raiders, 54-30. . . . The Blades’ big line piled up 10 points, with Brayden Schenn getting a goal and three assists, Curtis Hamilton going two and one, and Jake Trask getting a goal and two helpers. . . . Saskatoon was 5-for-8 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 10,034, the largest crowd in Saskatoon this season. . . . The Raiders took 63 of 104 penalty minutes. . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Tigers got goals from eight different players as they dropped the Brandon Wheat Kings, 9-5. . . . The Tigers hold a 3-2 edge in the series with Game 6 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Monday. . . . With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in their home arena, the Wheat Kings are playing their first-round home games in Winnipeg. . . . F Matt MacKay gave Brandon a 2-1 lead at 6:08 of the second period, but the Tigers then scored four straight goals. . . . F Emerson Etem had two goals and an assist for the Tigers, with F Linden Vey and F Wacey Hamilton each adding a goal and two assists. . . . F Mark Stone had three assists for Brandon, which went the distance with G Corbin Boes, who stopped 30 shots. . . . Brandon G Liam Liston and Medicine Hat starter Tyler Bunz both are out with concussions. . . . G Michael Tadjdeh is serving as Boes’ backup. . . . Medicine Hat G Deven Dubyk stopped 29 shots. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . .
In Spokane, F Blake Gal scored three times to lead the Chiefs to a 6-4 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Chiefs won the series, 4-1, and now will meet the Tri-City Americans. That series opens Saturday in Spokane. . . . Gal’s third goal, at 13:05 of the third period, broke a 4-4 tie. . . . The Bruins trailed 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3, but came back to tie the game each time. . . . F Mitch Holmberg had two goals for the Chiefs, with F Levko Koper helping out with a goal and two assists. . . . F Kevin Sundher had a goal and two assists for Chilliwack, while F Dylen McKinlay scored twice. . . . Sundher was unable to beat Spokane G James Reid on a second-period penalty shot with the Chiefs holding a 3-2 lead. . . . Reid made 21 saves, 16 fewer than Chilliwack’s Lucas Gore. . . . The Chiefs were without F Tyler Johnson for the second straight game. The WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season, Johnson hasn’t played since taking an elbow from Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl, who ended up with a major penalty and then was suspended for two games. . . . Attendance was 5,352.
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SATURDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy
Chilliwack D Emerson Hrynyk

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday . . .

Cam Tucker of the Abbotsford Times has the latest conjecture on what’s going on with Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Victoria and . . . That story is right here.
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F Jason Zucker of the U of Denver Pioneers has been named the WCHA’s rookie of the year after putting up 38 points, including 20 goals, 34 games this season. Zucker, who is from Las Vegas, was a second-round selection by the Minnesota Wild in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . . The Seattle Thunderbirds selected Zucker in the fourth round of the WHL’s 2007 bantam draft.
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The Prince George Cougars whipped the Giants 8-0 in Vancouver on Friday night and now are in sole possession of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. . . . The Cougars are one point behind the seventh-place Everett Silvertips two points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers and three up on the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Cougars will meet the Thunderbirds tonight in Kent, Wash. . . . F Charles Inglis had three goals for the Cougars, while G Ty Rimmer stopped 16 shots for his fourth shutout of the season. . . . Inglis now has 32 goals. . . . The Giants, who can’t finish any higher than second in the B.C. Division, have lost five in a row, three times by shutout. They were without head coach Don Hay, who served a one-game suspension after his club was in it’s third line brawl of the season on Wednesday against the visiting Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Giants play in Chilliwack tonight. . . .
In Everett, the Portland Winterhawks beat the Silvertips 6-3 to remain in first place in the Western Conference and the U.S. Division. . . . The Winterhawks, who are one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs, scored four goals in the first five minutes of the second period to erase a 2-1 deficit. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie was back in the lineup after sitting out four games with an injury. He had a goal and two assists. . . . G Keith Hamilton stopped 30 shots for Portland. . . . Everett has lost six in a row and is one point ahead of eighth-place Prince George. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter scored his 37^th goal of the season and running his goal-scoring streak to six games. . . . Portland and Spokane each has five games remaining. The Winterhawks play again in Everett tonight, while the Chiefs entertain the Kootenay Ice . . .
In Kamloops, the Kelowna Rockets beat the Blazers 5-1 to wrap up first place in the B.C. Division and the second seed in the Western Conference. . . . F Geordie Wudrick scored his 40^th goal for the Rockets, while F Gal Koren got his first. . . . The Blazers, who have three games to play, now are ninth, two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Kelowna. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Burke Gallimore’s PP goal at 1:31 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Thunderbirds, who have five games remaining, are 10^th in the Western Conference, one point behind Kamloops and three behind Prince George. . . . Gallimore, who has 32 goals, also had the OT winner Saturday in a 3-2 victory over visiting Everett. . . . The Bruins had a six-game winning streak snapped. . . . Bruins G Lucas Gore stopped 53 shots. . . . The loser point lifted the sixth-place Bruins three points clear of Everett. . . . Prince George visit’s the Thunderbirds tonight, while the Bruins go home to face Vancouver. . . .
In Spokane, F Tyler Johnson became the WHL’s first 50-goal scorer this season as the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans, 4-1. . . . It was the fifth straight time Spokane has beaten Tri-City. . . . The loss ended any chance Tri-City had of successfully defending its U.S. Division title. . . . D Tyler Schmidt had Tri-City’s goal, giving him 162 career points. That is one more than the franchise record for career points by a defenceman, which had been held by Darrell Hay (1996-2000). . . . Johnson also had an assist and, with 109 points, trails WHL scoring leader Linden Vey of Medicine Hat by five points. . . . F Blake Gal and F Anthony Bardaro each got his 20^th goal for the Chiefs, giving them seven players with at least that many goals. . . . The franchise record is eight (1995-96) and the Chiefs have three players close to 20 -- F Dominik Uher has 19, while D Jared Cowen and F Matt Marantz each has 18. . . . The Americans are headed for a fourth-place finish in the conference, meaning they will have home-ice against the fifth-place finisher in the first round. . . . Tri-City is at home to Prince George on Sunday. . . . The Chiefs, who trail conference-leading Portland by a point, entertain Kootenay tonight. . . .
In Brandon, F Michael Ferland’s OT goal gave the Wheat Kings a 5-4 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The victory allowed Brandon to clinch a playoff spot. . . . The Wheat Kings are sixth, which is as high as they can finish, but they are just a point ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . The Blades have wrapped up first place overall. . . . The Blades had won five in a row. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock picked up an assist, for his 40^th point of the season. That is believed to be a Wheat Kings franchise record for a 16-year-old defenceman. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky scored a shorthanded goal, giving him one of those in three straight games. . . . Referees Brett Iverson and Sean Raphael handed out only four minor penalties, all to Saskatoon. . . . The Blades had hoped to head home immediately after the game, but inclement weather forced them to stay the night. They are at home to Edmonton tonight. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders are to travel to Brandon for a game tonight. . . .
In Calgary, the Lethbridge Hurricanes kept alive their playoff chances with a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . D Derek Ryckman pulled Lethbridge into a 2-2 tie with his fifth goal at 9:34 of the third and F Brody Sutter, with his 15^th, won it at 11:40. . . . Lethbridge F Max Ross was tossed with a boarding major at 7:38 of the second period. . . . The Hurricanes are ninth, two points behind Prince Albert. Each team has four games remaining. . . . The Hurricanes will play at home to Medicine Hat tonight. . . . The Hitmen next play Sunday against visiting Red Deer. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Cody Eakin scored in regulation time and again in the shootout as his Kootenay Ice scored a 5-4 victory over his former team, the Swift Current Broncos. . . . F Graham Black, who led the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in scoring this season with the Regina Pat Canadians, scored his first WHL goal for the Broncos. . . . Swift Current scored three times in the last 15 minutes to force OT, with Black tying it at 19:36 of the third. . . . The Ice is fourth in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . The Broncos have been eliminated from the playoff picture. . . . Swift Current is in Red Deer tonight, while the Ice is in Spokane. . . .
In Medicine Hat, WHL scoring leader Linden Vey scored at 4:48 of OT to give the Tigers a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Vey finished with two goals, giving him 46, and 114 points. . . . He is striving to become the first Medicine Hat player to win a scoring title since Tom Lysiak in 1972-73. . . . The Tigers, who are in Lethbridge tonight, are two points behind the Central Division-leading Rebels. . . . The Rebels are at home to Swift Current tonight. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders came from behind to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . Edmonton took a 2-1 lead into the second period, only to have F Mark McNeill tie it with his 29^th goal at 5:42 and freshman F Mike Winther get the eventual winner, his ninth goal this season, at 11:39. . . . The Raiders are eighth in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Edmonton and two up on Lethbridge. . . . The Raiders are in Brandon tonight, while Edmonton is in Saskatoon. . . .
In Regina, the Moose Jaw Warriors scored the game’s last two goals and beat the Pats, 4-3. . . . D Morgan Rielly tied the game on a PP at 1:10 of the third and F Sebastian Svendsen won it with his 26^th goal at 17:09. . . . The Warriors have won six of seven games with the Pats this season and have come from behind in five of those victories. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports: “Pats top prospect Morgan Klimchuk, the No. 5 pick in the 2010 bantam draft, made his home-ice debut but played just a few shifts. He took the spot of overage forward Colin Reddin, who was a healthy scratch.” . . . The teams meet again tonight in Moose Jaw as the Pats make their last visit to the Civic Centre (aka the Crushed Can). The Warriors will move into a new facility in time for next season. . . . The Warriors, who will finish fifth in the Eastern Conference, can officially eliminate the Pats from the playoff hunt with a victory tonight. Regina, which has four games left, is seven points behind Prince Albert, which holds down the conference’s last playoff spot.

Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail is the best essayist/sports columnist in Canada today.
His column in Saturday’s paper carries this headline: How to break Neanderthals’ grip on hockey?
It starts with this sentence:
“If hockey is truly ‘a man’s game,’ then why are the games brought to us by Cialis and Viagra?”
As he writes later in the piece: “It is a great game, but it surely needs some work.”
This is your must-read piece for today and it is right here.
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Interestingly, MacGregor wrote and filed his column before the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders staged that embarrassing exhibition on Friday evening.The NHL had quite a week, didn’t it?
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While enjoying some time off this week, I heard someone -- it may have been Bob McCown on The Fan 590 out of Toronto -- mention that there were, at that particular time, 43 NHL players out with concussions.
I don’t know where that number came from, but I went on TSN’s website late Friday night and started counting. I found 23 players listed as being out with a concussion, concussion symptoms or a head injury. There are a bunch of players on the list with undisclosed injuries, so perhaps there is another list out there somewhere that showed 43 concussed NHLers.
Regardless, it got me to wondering: How many WHL players have suffered concussions this season?
So I spent some time perusing the WHL injury/transaction update that is posted on the league’s website early each week.
Interestingly, six of the WHL’s 22 teams have reported a number of head injuries but not even one concussion. On the other hand, 10 teams have reported concussions but no head injuries.
Including the injury report of Feb. 8, WHL teams have listed a total of 78 players as having suffered head injuries or concussions. Of those, 43 have suffered concussions and 35 are listed as having had head injuries.
(Another five players are shown to have incurred neck injuries.)
Of course, there is nothing here to indicate how these injuries happened. For example, there are goaltenders on the list who were concussed when struck on the mask by a shot or a stick.
But there also are two players on the list who suffered season-ending concussions and one other who hasn’t played since Dec. 10.
As of the Feb. 8 list, there were 13 players out with concussions or head injuries.
No matter how you look at it, there are far too many head injuries, certainly at this level of hockey and in the NHL.
The message, whatever it is, isn’t getting through.
Consider, too, that Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier is reporting: “Last season, the WHL handed out 110 games in suspensions; this season, it’s already at 135.”
That doesn’t include an impending suspension to Kelowna Rockets F Colton Jobke. He was hit with an interference major on Friday night for a hit that ended the season of Chilliwack Bruins F Tim Traber, who suffered a broken leg.
Here’s what Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska, speaking after the game, told Potenteau: “I didn’t think it was a good hit. Traber didn’t have the puck, and, from what I saw originally — and I haven’t looked at since — I thought it wasn’t a very good hit. Even though he’s our player, it’s one of the hits where I wouldn’t want to see one of our guys get hit that way.”
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A look at WHL teams and the number of concussion and head injuries each has reported through Feb. 8 (first number is concussions; second number is head injuries):
Brandon 0-0
Calgary 0-6
Chilliwack 5-0
Edmonton 2-4
Everett 8-0
Kamloops 5-0
Kelowna 0-5
Kootenay 1-2
Lethbridge 0-4
Medicine Hat 3-0
Moose Jaw 2-1
Portland 0-0
Prince Albert 0-3
Prince George 1-0
Red Deer 3-0
Regina 3-0
Saskatoon 5-0
Seattle 2-0
Spokane 0-4
Swift Current 2-1
Tri-City 3-0
Vancouver 3-0
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Whitehorse, F Brendan Gallagher scored twice to help the Vancouver Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The game was played in a soldout Takhini Arena, which has 1,535 seats. . . . This was the first WHL regular-season game to be played in the Yukon, although the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice played two exhibition games in Yellowknife, North West Territories, in 2005. . . . The arena didn’t include glass that meets WHL standards so both teams agreed to have the officials ignore what would have been delay-of-game penalties in WHL arenas. . . . The victory was No. 516 in the WHL for Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who is fourth on the all-time list. Pat Ginnell is No. 3, at 518. . . . The Giants have won 14 of their last 18 games. . . . Gallagher broke a 2-2 tie when he tipped a shot by F Spencer Bennett past G Jeff Bosch. . . . Gallagher has 38 goals. . . . Bennett set up both of Gallagher’s goals. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 26 shots, two fewer than Bosch. . . . Vancouver remains atop the B.C. Division, meaning it is the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. It now is four points ahead of Kelowna. . . . The Blazers slipped into ninth, one point behind Chilliwack. . . .
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In Chilliwack, the Bruins, without three veteran defencemen, beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1. . . . F Ryan Howse scored twice, giving him 39 goals, and added an assist. . . . F Max Adolph gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season in the first period. . . . F Brandon Magee tied it for the Bruins at 3:25 of the second and F Kevin Sundher, with his 18th, gave them the lead at 17:20. . . . Howse added two third-period goals. . . . The Bruins were without veteran defencemen Brandon Manning, who is serving a seven-game suspension, and the injured Jeff Einhorn and Zach Habscheid. . . . F Curt Gogol dropped back to the blue line and Turner Popoff, 16, was brought in from the junior B Richmond Sockeyes and made his WHL debut. . . . The Bruins also were without F Tim Traber, who will miss the rest of this season with a broken right leg suffered in Friday’s 5-4 shootout victory in Kelowna. Rockets F Colton Jobke was hit with an interference major on the play in which Traber was injured. Jobke has been suspended, although the length of that suspension isn’t yet known. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 26 shots. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 2,909. . . . The victory lifted the Bruins into eighth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Kamloops. Chilliwack holds four games in hand on Kamloops. . . . The Bruins are at home to Tri-City tonight. . . . The Rockets travel to Everett to face the Silvertips tonight. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Johansen had his first WHL three-goal game, leading the Portland Winterhawks to an 8-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks, who lead the Western Conference, are one victory away from clinching a playoff spot. . . . Portland scored its first five goals on the PP as it went 6-for-7 with the man advantage. . . . Johansen has 30 goals. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had a goal and three assists. . . . Seattle had a 17-5 edge in first-period shots but went into the second period trailing 1-0. . . . The Winterhawks outshot Seattle 20-7 in the second and emerged with a 5-1 lead. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 35 shots. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard was beaten seven times on 35 shots before Michael Salmon came on. He was beaten once on two shots. . . . Attendance was 4,771. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference and hold a five-point lead over Spokane in the U.S. Division. . . . Seattle, with one victory in 10 games, is 10th in the conference and now is five points out of a playoff spot. . . . Spokane visits the Thunderbirds tonight. . . .
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In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . MacKay’s third goal, his 21st of the season, came into an empty net with 11.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . F T.J. Foster scored three times for Edmonton, while F Dylan Wruck earned four assists and set the franchise’s modern day record for points (64) in a season. . . . Brandon has won six straight home games. . . . Foster has 23 goals. . . . D Ryan Pulock and F Brenden Walker each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Pulock, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Man., has 27 points in 49 games and certainly is in the conversation when the discussion is about the Eastern Conference’s top rookie. . . . Attendance was 4,120. . . . Brandon is back in action Tuesday when the Saskatoon Blades and F Brayden Schenn come calling. The Wheat Kings dealt Schenn to Saskatoon on Jan. 10. . . . The Wheat Kings, seventh in the Eastern Conference, closed to within three points of the sixth-place Oil Kings. Edmonton has one game in hand. . . . The Oil Kings move on to Swift Current tonight. . . .
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In Moose Jaw, F Marek Viedensky and F Jake Trask each scored twice for Saskatoon as the Blades beat the Warriors, 5-3. . . . The Blades have won 11 in a row. . . . Viedensky has 27 goals. . . . Trask, whose second goal was into an empty net, now has 21 goals. . . . F Cody Beach had a goal and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 43 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 26 shots and now is 32-3-0. I’m thinking he has the Cy Young Award locked up. . . . After Beach gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead, the Blades scored three times, twice on the PP, to take a 3-1 lead into the second. . . . The Warriors tied it before Viedensky broke the 3-3 deadlock at 18:22 of the third. . . . Referees Derek Zalaski and Cole Hamm handed out nine roughing minors and six for unsportsmanlike conduct. There were only two scraps, though. . . . Attendance was 2,730. . . . The Blades lead the WHL in victories (44), points (90) and winning percentage (.804). In fact, only one other team (Red Deer, .716) is over .700. . . .The Warriors are fifth and appear likely to finish there. . . .
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In Regina, the Pats got two shootout goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Pats led 2-0 in the second period, on goals by D Brandon Davidson and F Lane Scheidl, only to have the Tigers come back and tie it. D Jace Coyle scored at 13:40 of the second and F Kellan Tochkin tied it at 6:52 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had two assists and now has 92 points. He is tied for the scoring lead with Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Shayne Neigum and Scheidl scored for Regina in the SO, while only F Wacey Hamilton was able to beat G Matt Hewitt for the Tigers. . . . Hewitt stopped 32 shots through OT and three more in the SO. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made 34 saves. Regina D Myles Bell was unable to beat him on a second period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 3,996. . . . The Pats are tied for 10th with Lethbridge, just two points behind Prince Albert and Swift Current, who are tied for eighth. . . . Medicine Hat is fourth, one point behind Kootenay. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Max Reinhart scored two goals 34 seconds apart as the Kootenay Ice beat the Broncos, 6-4. . . . The Ice, which has clinched a playoff spot, led 3-0 after one period and 4-1 late in the second, only to have the Broncos tie it 4-4 on F Andy Blanke’s fifth goal of the season at 6:59 of the third. . . . F Joe Antilla got the winner at 14:42 and D James Martin nailed the empty-netter at 19:44. . . . F Cody Eakin, traded to the Ice by the Broncos on Jan. 9 for five players and three draft picks, had one assist in his return to Swift Current. . . . F Drew Czerwonka had three assists for the Ice. . . . Reinhart, who scored the game’s first two goals, has 29 this season. . . . Attendance was 2,525. . . . The Ice is third in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Red Deer and one up on Medicine Hat. . . . The Broncos, with one victory in 10 games, are tied with Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos are at home again tonight, this time to Edmonton. . . .
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In Calgary, G Brandon Glover stopped 32 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Hitmen scored three times in the first period, with F Justin Kirsch getting his 22nd at 4:12. . . . F Kris Foucault, with his 17th, and F Misha Fisenko, with his seventh, also scored in that first period. . . . F Brett Connolly got his 33rd on the PP at 7:44 of the second. . . . Foucault later added his 18th into an empty net. He also had an assist. . . . Calgary F Brendan Santini had two helpers. . . . Cougars G Ty Rimmer stopped 18 shots. . . . Attendance was 9,385. . . . The Hitmen are 12th in the Eastern Conference and, barring a miracle, won’t make the playoffs. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind Kelowna and three ahead of Everett. . . . The Cougars have a game in Red Deer tonight. . . .
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In Lethbridge, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Kuemper, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, leads all of the CHL with 11 shutouts. He has 17 in his career. . . . He had three in each of his previous two seasons. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 20th goal, while F Byron Froese had a goal, his 34th, and an assist, and F Andrej Kudrna got his 25th goal. . . . With Red Deer short on the back end, Froese dropped back and played a lot on defence. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 39 shots. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson had an assist to run his point streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the league today. He has 21 points over that stretch. . . . Attendance was 3,790. . . . Lethbridge is tied with Regina for 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Red Deer leads the Central Division and is seven points behind conference-leading Saskatoon. . . . Red Deer is at home to Prince George tonight. . . .
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In Spokane, F Levko Koper drew four assists as the Chiefs dumped the Tri-City Americans, 7-2. . . . The Chiefs were 4-for-7 on the PP, while the Americans were 0-for-6. . . . F Tyler Johnson had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs. He leads the WHL with 43 goals and his 92 points have on the top rung alongside Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton had a goal and two assists. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 22 shots. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley left early in the second period with an apparent knee injury. . . . Attendance was 10,475. . . . The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, five points behind Portland with two games in hand. . . . The Americans are three points in back of Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . . The Americans play in Chilliwack tonight, while the Chiefs are in Kent, Wash., to face Seattle.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy
Kelowna F Evan Bloodoff
Tri-City D Sam Grist

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, the Raiders built up a 4-1 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . D Jordan Rowley had a goal and two assists for the Raiders, while D James Bettauer had one of each. . . . The Maxwell boys, Mitch and Russell, each had a goal and an assist for Lethbridge. . . . Raiders G Eric Williams stopped 33 shots. . . . Attendance was 2,433. . . . The Raiders were 2-for-5 on the PP. . . . Lethbridge again was without injured F Austin Fyten. . . . The victory lifted the Raiders into a tie with the Swift Current Broncos for eighth place in the 12-team Eastern Conference. . . . The Hurricanes, who have lost five in a row, are 10th, but just two points out of eighth. . . . The Raiders visit the 11th-place Regina Pats tonight, while the Hurricanes meet the conference-leading Blades in Saskatoon. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Linden Vey had two goals and an assist to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-1 victory over the Broncos. . . . Swift Current has lost eight in a row. . . . Vey, who has 36 goals, leads the WHL with 86 points, three more than Spokane Chiefs F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Tyler Pitlick added two goals for the Tigers. He has 22 goals. . . . The Tigers were 3-for-5 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 2,207. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz stopped 27 shots. He gave up the game’s first goal when F Taylor Vause got his 15th on the PP at 1:43 of the first period. . . . The Tigers are fourth in the conference, a point behind the Kootenay Ice and three ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Broncos are at home to Brandon tonight, while the Tigers are at home to Moose Jaw. . . .
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings went 4-for-6 on the PP and beat the Regina Pats 7-4. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone, F Michael Ferland and F Matt MacKay each had a goal and two assists. . . . Brandon F Shayne Wiebe scored his 30th of the season. . . . Regina F Jordan Weal got his 27th goal and added an assist. . . . Attendance was 3,898. . . . Brandon D Jordan Fransoo took a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct at 17:33 of the third period. . . . The victory has the Wheat Kings in seventh place in the conference, four points behind the Edmonton Oil Kings and a point ahead of Prince Albert and Swift Current. . . . The Wheat Kings are in Swift Current tonight. . . . Regina is at home to Prince Albert tonight. . . .
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In Calgary, F Andrej Stastny scored in the shootout to give the Vancouver Giants a 4-3 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Vancouver forced OT by erasing a 3-1 deficit. F Michael Burns scored at 17:10 of the second period and F Brendan Gallagher, with his 36th, tied it at 16:33 of the third. . . . Gallagher scored twice in regulation. . . . Vancouver F Spencer Bennett and F Brendan Rowinski each had two assists. . . . Vancouver D Darren Bestland took an elbowing major and game misconduct at 7:59 of the third period. . . . F James Henry (knee) returned to the Vancouver lineup for the first time since being injured on Dec. 27. . . . Attendance was 10,463. . . . Vancouver now holds a three-point lead over the Kelowna Rockets atop the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants visit the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook tonight, and the crowd just may top 3,000. . . .
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In Red Deer, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins struck for three goals and added three assists, leading the Rebels to an 8-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Nugent-Hopkins has 19 goals and a WHL-leading 60 assists. He is third in the points race, seven behind Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Red Deer F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and five assists, while F Byron Froese had three assists. . . . Red Deer F John Persson scored twice, giving him 26 goals. . . . The Rebels were 5-for-13 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for--6. . . . Red Deer scored its first four goals on the PP. . . . The Warriors took 92 of the 140 penalty minutes doled out by referees Ryan Thompson and Colin Watt. Included in the penalty totals were 20 roughing minors. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 shots. He lost the attempt for his 11th shutout of the season when F Brett Lyon scored his fourth goal at 17:30 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 5,086. . . . The Rebels moved within three points of conference-leading Saskatoon, but the Blades hold three games in hand. . . .
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In Kamloops, F Jordan DePape broke a 1-1 tie at 8:10 of the third period to give the Blazers a 2-1 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . DePape scored nine seconds after Chilliwack D Brandon Manning was hit with a boarding major for a check on Kamloops D Austin Madaisky. . . . Kamloops D Brandon Underwood (knee) left in the first and didn’t return. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Chilliwack. It will be the third game between these teams in a week. Kamloops won the first two games. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 33 shots in a tremendous performance. . . . Attendance was 4,287. . . . The Blazers were 2-for-10 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-6. . . . The Blazers are eighth in the 10-team Western Conference, two points ahead of Seattle. The Bruins slipped into the basement, a point behind Seattle and three in arrears of Kamloops. Chillliwack holds two games in hand on Seattle and four on Kamloops, but has lost its last seven games. . . .
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In Prince George, the Cougars opened up a 4-0 lead and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Kelowna had a seven-game winning streak snapped. . . . F Troy Bourke had a goal, his 13th, and an assist for the Cougars, who got 25 saves from G Ty Rimmer. . . . D Martin Marincin got his 13th goal for the Cougars. . . . Attendance was 1,916. . . . The Rockets were without F Mitchell Callahan (head), who was injured in Wednesday’s 6-4 victory over visiting Chilliwack. . . . The teams meet in Prince George again tonight. . . . The Cougars are sixth, a point ahead of Everett. . . . The Rockets slipped two points back of the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants. . . .
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In Portland, the Winterhawks scored one goal on a penalty shot and added two empty-netters in beating the Edmonton Oil Kings, 5-2. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter scored twice, giving him 24. His second goal, at 15:44 of the first period, came via a penalty shot and gave the Winterhawks a 3-0 lead. . . . F Dylan Wruck got his 31st goal for the Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton G Jon Groenheyde stopped 34 shots, four more than Portland’s Mac Carruth. . . . Attendance was 5,023. . . . Edmonton, which plays at Everett tonight, remains sixth in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference and are four points up on the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Americans are in Portland tonight. . . .
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In Everett, the Seattle Thunderbirds snapped a nine-game losing skid by scoring the game’s last three goals to beat the Silvertips, 3-2, in overtime. . . . Everett had won four in a row. . . . F Tyler Maxwell gave Everett a 2-0 lead with his 36th goal, on the PP, at 8:31 of the second. . . . F Burke Gallimore scored his 19th, just 44 seconds into the third period to get Seattle within one. . . . Seattle F Marcel Noebels forced OT at 11:31 of the third and won it with his 20th of the season at 1:42 of extra time. . . . Noebels also had an assist as he finished plus-3. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots. . . . Seattle had veteran D Ryan Button and D Travis Bobbee back in the lineup. Both had been out with shoulder injuries. . . . The victory lifted Seattle out of the conference basement, one point ahead of Chilliwack. . . . The Thunderbirds are at home to Spokane tonight, while Edmonton is in Everett. The Silvertips are seventh in the converence, a point behind Prince George. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Brendan Shinnimin scored twice to help the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Shinnimin, who is riding a 21-game point streak, has 24 goals. He scored twice in the second period to give the Americans a 4-1 lead. . . . F Adam Hughesman added his 35th goal and also had an assist for the Americans, who got two assists from C Carter Ashton. . . . The game was 1-1 early in the second period when D Paul Sohor, with his third, and Shinnimin scored 20 seconds apart to give the home side a 3-1 edge. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 28 shots. . . . Spokane remains without injured G James Reid. . . . In his absence, G Mac Engel stopped 26 shots. . . . The Americans are 4-1-1 against the Chiefs this season. . . . Attendance wsa 5,807. . . . The victory allowed the Americans to move past the Chiefs and into second in the U.S. Division. The Americans, who have won four in a row and eight of 10, are four points behind Portland and hold four games in hand. . . . As luck would have it, Tri-City visits Portland tonight. . . . The Chiefs, having lost two in a row, will visit the Thunderbirds.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Prince Albert D Antoine Corbin
Edmonton F Klarc Wilson
Seattle D Travis Bobbee
One major:
Brandon D Jordan Fransoo

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers were double losers on Wednesday night - they lost a hockey game and their leading scorer no longer leads the WHL point parade.
The Medicine Hat Tigers, who skate as well as any team in the league, jumped out to a 2-0 lead and went on to a 4-1 victory over the Blazers before 3,857 fans at Interior Savings Centre.
Medicine Hat centre Linden Vey had a goal and an assist, giving him 67 points on the season, one more than left-winger Brendan Ranford of the Blazers, who was held off the scoresheet.
“I don't think it's something you worry about,” Vey, a 19-year-old from Wakaw, Sask., said of a potential scoring title. “It just happens. You go out there and focus on winning. At the end of the day, they don't remember who wins the scoring race; they remember who wins the championship.”
The Tigers (27-12-2) kept pace with the top bunch in the Eastern Conference - they are fourth, a point out of third - while the Blazers (20-22-2) remain tied for seventh in the Western Conference, two points out of sixth and one ahead of the Chilliwack Bruins.
Kamloops leaves today at 9 a.m., for Kennewick, Wash., and a Friday night date with the Tri-City Americans. Kamloops is at home to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday night.
The Blazers had their chances last night - they outshot the visitors, 28-17 - but were done in by a wonky power play and the goaltending of Medicine Hat's Tyler Bunz.
“I thought we had chances,” offered Kamloops right-winger Jordan DePape, who said he isn't concerned over an offence that has two goals in its last two games, both losses. “We hit a couple of posts. We just needed a couple of bounces to go in.”
The Blazers ended up 1-for-7 on the power play, the goal coming off the stick of left-winger JT Barnett with the Tigers ahead 3-0 midway though the second period. The Kamloops power play also was torched for a shorthanded goal, as Vey set up the speedy Emerson Etem for the team's WHL-leading 12th such score.
That goal rounded out the night's scoring.
“Again, we generated some chances,” DePape said of a power-play unit that is ranked sixth in the WHL. “But we have to be better, especially defensively. They scored a shorthanded goal and we can't let that happen.”
The Blazers started OK but Medicine Hat's first goal, winger Tyler Pitlick's 17th just 5:43 in, seemed to set them on their heels. Even though the Blazers came out of the period with a 10-7 edge in shots, the Tigers dominated play.
“They came out with a lot of intensity,” Vey said. “Right off the bat they were after us. But we got pucks in and then we stuck to our game plan. We played simple, got pucks on net, got a few breaks and ended up with the win.”
It wasn't quite that simple, but that about sums it up.
Cole Grbavac, who began his WHL career with Kamloops, got his eighth goal in typical garbageman fashion, with the Tigers piling into the crease and hacking away until the puck got behind goaltender Jeff Bosch.
That would stand up as Grbavac's first game-winner this season.
The visitors went up 3-0 at 6:34, as winger Kellan Tochkin, acquired Monday from the Everett Silvertips, found Vey alone on the right side of the Blazers' zone. He zigged and zagged and beat Bosch for his 27th goal this season.
Not quite 10 minutes later, Bosch made a blocker save on Vey. As often happens, the play moved into the Medicine Hat zone and Barnett was able to shovel the puck under Bunz.
That goal gave the Blazers a lift, as did a glove save by Bosch on Medicine Hat captain Wacey Hamilton on a late Tigers' power play.
However, Kamloops wasn't able to put any more pucks behind Bunz, who finished with 27 saves in winning for the 20th time this season.
“He's played real well,” Vey said of Bunz, 18, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL draft. “He gives us confidence.
“We capitalized on our opportunities. We tried to keep pucks to the outside and our goaltender played well for us. He's played well the whole season and is a big part of the reason why we're winning.”
The Blazers had centre Chase Schaber back after their captain missed two games with a leg injury. But he obviously is still hurting and wasn't nearly as effective as he normally is.
And they welcomed back defenceman Josh Caron after a 41-game absence. Against a Medicine Hat team with tremendous speed, Caron was used sparingly as he returned from a broken collarbone suffered in the second game of the season.
JUST NOTES: Referee Steve Papp gave Medicine Hat seven of nine minors. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-2 on the power play with the first of those lasting just 11 seconds. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. D Sebastian Owuya: The 6-foot-4 Swede was a tower of power back there; 2. Bunz: 20 victories; 3. Barnett: Had some chances. . . . Oilers head scout Stu MacGregor was upstairs, no doubt watching Bunz and Pitlick, both of whom were 2010 Edmonton draft picks.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) was released at his request for personal reasons by Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had two goals and four assists in five games for the Indians. . . .
F Quinn Hancock (Tacoma/Kelowna, Calgary, Prince George, 1994-98) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Graz 99ers (Austria Erste Bank Liga). He had 13 goals and 21 assists in 53 games for Iserlohn Roosters (Germany DEL) last season. . . .
F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) was released by the Edinburgh Capitals (UK Elite) so he could sign a contract for the rest of the season with Bietigheim-Bissingen (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had 18 goals and 31 assists in 29 games for the Capitals this season. The Edinburgh newspaper The Scotsman reports that the "cash-strapped" Capitals have converted all player contracts to week-to-week and players are free to leave should they find another team to play for. . . .
D Michael Busto (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kootenay, 2001-07) signed a contract with Bolzano (Italy Serie A) for the rest of this season. He had one goal and three assists in 11 games with the Dayton Gems and Elmira Jackals (both ECHL) last season. . . .
F Riley Armstrong (Kootenay, Everett, 2002-04) signed a contract for the rest of the season with the Augsburger Panther (Germany DEL). Armstrong started the season with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), getting two assists in two games, before signing with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan KHL), where he had one goal in nine games.
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Two former WHLers have been named to the lineup for the 2011 ECHL All-Star Classic that will be played in Bakersfield, Calif., on Jan. 26. . . . F Mitch Fadden (Seattle, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 2003-09) of the Florida Everblades and F Mark Derlago (Brandon, 2003-06) of the Idaho Steelheads will be in the starting lineup in a game that will feature the all-star team against the Bakersfield Condors. . . . Fadden leads the ECHL in assists (32) and points (47). . . . Derlago is tied for second in goals (15) and fifth in points (31). . . . The all-star team was selected through voting by ECHL coaches, team captains, media directors, broadcasters and media members.
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Things are tightening up at the top of the Western Conference.
The Tri-City Americans dumped the visiting Portland Winterhawks 5-1 on Wednesday, completing a sweep of a two-game series. The Americans had put up a 5-1 victory in Portland on Tuesday.
The two results leave the Winterhawks in first place, at 25-11-3, with the Americans closing, at 21-11-2.
And let’s not forget the Spokane Chiefs, the WHL’s highest-scoring team, who put eight more on the board in beating the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 8-2.
The Chiefs had beaten the Thunderbirds 2-0 in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday night.
Spokane C Tyler Johnson scored three times last night, giving him 102 goals in his career with the Chiefs. That moved him into 13th on the franchise’s all-time list, ahead of Brandin Cote (1996-2002).
The Chiefs, having gone 9-1-1 in their last 11, are 21-10-5.
Portland leads the Western Conference, with 53 points, just six ahead of the Chiefs, who hold three games in hand. The Americans are third, with 44 points, but hold two games in hand on the Chiefs and five on the Winterhawks.
The Prince George Cougars, who beat the visiting Chilliwack Bruins 5-0 last night with G James Priestner stopping 22 shots, are the conference’s No. 2 seed as they are the top club in the B.C. Division. But the Cougars are just one point ahead of the Kelowna Rockets, who hold two games in hand.
It’s also worth noting that the Winterhawks no longer lead the WHL in points. That honour belongs to the Saskatoon Blades (27-8-1), who lead the Eastern Conference, with 55 points, after beting the host Prince Albert Raiders 4-3 last night.
F Linden Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers had a goal and two assists in a 3-2 victory over the Kootenay Ice and moved into a tie for the scoring lead with F Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers. Each has 58 points, at least for now.
Because it seems that Ranford may have 59 points.
While the online scoresheet of Kamloops’ 6-1 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants on Tuesday night shows Ranford with three assists, he may have been given another helper sometime after the game.
Early Wednesday, a tweet from the WHL office read: “Top point getter last night and STILL #WHL leading scorer @blazerhockey Ranford with 4 assists in 6-1 win over @WHLGiants.”
If Ranford, indeed, had four assists, he will hold a one-point lead over Vey going into tonight’s games. While the Tigers are off, the Blazers travel to Kelowna.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Vey really happy to be in Kamloops

Brendan Ranford (17) of Team WHL drives past
Team Russia's Yuri Urychev.
(Photo by Murray Mitchell/Kamloops Daily News)

By MARK HUNTER
Daily News Sports Reporter
It has been said many times by many people, but the phrase “just happy to be here” couldn’t have fit any better than it did coming out of Linden Vey’s mouth Wednesday.
Vey, a 19-year-old right winger with the Medicine Hat Tigers, suited up for Team WHL in a Subway Super Series game Wednesday at Interior Savings Centre.
Team WHL, featuring a lineup comprised of different players from last night, will play the Russians tonight in Prince George as the series draws to a conclusion.
Vey almost didn’t make it to Kamloops. A storm in Medicine Hat forced him to remain in The Gas City an extra day, before he finally landed in Kamloops on Wednesday around 1:30 p.m., a mere 5-1/2 hours before game time.
“It wasn’t the best trip, but that’s the way it goes,” said Vey, who is from Wakaw, Sask. “You can’t control the weather and you’ve just got to roll with it.”
The original schedule had Vey driving from Medicine Hat to Calgary on Tuesday, then flying to Vancouver and then on to Kamloops. But poor conditions made the Trans-Canada Highway west of Medicine Hat almost impassable, and Vey and Tigers assistant coach Joey Frazer were forced to leave Wednesday.
Even then, the roads were barely navigable — it took Frazer and Vey four hours to make the 270-kilometre journey.
“The roads weren’t the best, but we made it here and that’s the main thing,” Vey said. “There were portions of the road that were very good, and portions that were pure ice and almost undriveable.”
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Speaking of bad weather . . . it gave Kamloops official Kris Hartley an opportunity to serve as a referee in last night’s game.
Hartley had been penciled in to work as a linesman, the same role he has filled in the WHL for at least four seasons. Matt Kirk and Pat Smith were supposed to serve as referees and were en route to Kamloops from the Lower Mainland when they were turned back due to the closure of the Coquihalla Highway after an accident.
Hartley was called upon to fill in, as was Steve Papp, who hurried to Kamloops from Kelowna. Ryan Dawson and Mike Boisvert, who also got a last-minute call to replace Hartley, worked as linesmen.
There was a worry that Papp wouldn’t make on time and Hartley would have to start alone. However, Papp arrived in time for the player introductions and the national anthems.
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The teams are hoping there won’t be any delays in flying from Kamloops to Prince George this morning.
The roster for tonight’s game, which included six players who suited up last night, was to fly north today. The entire Team WHL roster was at Wednesday’s game, even those who didn’t play.
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Tyler Boldt made an appearance in Kamloops as part of the festivities.
Boldt, a former Blazers defenceman, now is the WHL’s manager of player development and recruitment. Part of his job involves talking to potential players about the league and its scholarship policy.
He is based out of the league’s office in Calgary, but came west Tuesday to discuss the league’s virtues with the Bantam Tier 1 Jardine’s Blazers, who left Wednesday to take part in a Medicine Hat tournament. Boldt also will attend that tournament.
Boldt, 26, played for the Blazers from 1999-2004, and also suited up for the Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades. He was working as general manager and head coach of the KIJHL’s Chase Chiefs before being hired by the WHL in December.
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Brendan Shinnimin had a solid game, picking up two assists in WHL’s 7-6 shootout loss.
It was only the second game for Shinnimin since Oct. 6, but he hardly looked out of place. Shinnimin was suspended 12 games after he received a checking-from-behind major in a game against the host Saskatoon Blades on Oct. 6.
Prior to the suspension, he had 13 points in seven games. He returned Saturday in a 5-0 loss to the host Spokane Chiefs.
“I got to play a game Saturday and got back into game shape,” said Shinnimin, a 19-year-old from Winnipeg. “I played in this game last year, so I knew what it was about. I was nervous last year . . . but I felt a little more comfortable this year.”

mhunter@kamloopsnews.ca

Russians next up for Ranford

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
No WHL player is hotter these days than left-winger Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers.
The 18-year-old from Edmonton is on a run of three straight three-point games and has 11 points over his last four games. He leads the WHL with 20 goals and is tied for third in points, with 33, all accomplished in 21 games.
Ranford, who had 29 goals in 72 games last season, became the first WHLer this season to reach 20 goals when he snapped a 50-footer through a defenceman and past Everett goaltender Kent Simpson in the Blazers’ 3-1 victory over the visiting Silvertips on Sunday night.
“I shot around (the defenceman),” Ranford said. “For sure, (Simpson) was screened). I’ve been doing that since bantam and peewee hockey. I try to shoot across the box. It’s a tough save for him to make, going across the grain . . . he’s going one way and the puck goes the other way.”
As for the recent run in which Ranford has scored seven goals in four games, he said: “You have to shoot the puck. Right? (Head coach Guy Charron) is always me after me to shoot the puck more and . . . I’ve been getting the bounces.”
Next up for Ranford is Game 5 of the Subway Super Series, which will be played at Interior Savings Centre on Wednesday, 7 p.m. For whatever reason, Ranford wasn’t an original selection to Team WHL, but he was added to the roster on Thursday. (The WHL revealed Monday that winger Brendan Gallagher of the Vancouver Giants won’t play in the game here but will play Thursday in Prince George.)
Ranford has no idea how he’ll do on Wednesday; he just wants to play.
“They’re a really good hockey team,” he said of the Russians. “I’ve noticed how they’ve been doing.”
The Russians took two games from the QMJHL, winning 5-4 and 4-3, before dropping a 4-0 decision to the OHL on Thursday in London. Last night, in Sudbury, the OHL won 2-1 in a shootout.
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Forward Lindey Vey of the Medicine Hat Tigers will play in both Super Series games. Vey, 19, had a goal and three assists in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday.
Vey, like every player on the team, wants to make an impression on Hockey Canada head scout Kevin Prendergast, and Medicine Hat head coach Shaun Clouston doesn’t know why he can’t do just that.
“I thought that the last two nights Linden has really done a good job with his game,” Clouston told the Medicine Hat News. “He has worked hard, but he has also played real smart.
“He is looking for the right spots. He is executing the systems. I think he is being rewarded for doing that.”
Vey is tied with Ranford for third in the WHL scoring race, each with 33 points.
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G Jon Groenheyde, who was traded by the Blazers to the Edmonton Oil Kings for G Cam Lanigan on Nov. 4, watched Sunday’s victory over Everett.
“I haven’t been home yet,” he said, referring to Edmonton as “home.”
“This has been the longest road trip ever,” he added.
On the day of the trade, the Oil Kings were in Prince George for a weekend doubleheader, so Groenheyde joined them there. The Oil Kings went from there to Chilliwack, Kelowna and Spokane before wrapping up Saturday in Cranbrook.
The Oil Kings flew Groenheyde back to Kamloops to allow him to pick up his car and some belongings. They don’t play until Saturday when they are at home to the Red Deer Rebels.
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JUST NOTES: Ranford was named the WHL’s player of the week on Monday. He had six points, including three goals, in the team’s two games. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch is the WHL’s nominee as goaltender of the week after going 2-0-0 with a 0.50 GAA and a .984 save percentage. . . . Kamloops C Chase Schaber had an assist Sunday to run his point streak to eight games. He has 11 points, eight of them assists, over that stretch. . . . Ranford’s goal on Sunday was announced as unassisted. After the game, assists were added to RW Jordan DePape and D Austin Madaisky. . . . Team WHL players are to arrive in town this afternoon and practice at ISC at 5:30 p.m. The Russians are scheduled to practice at 7:30 p.m. . . . D Matt MacKenzie of the Calgary Hitmen has the flu so won’t play Wednesday. He has been replaced by D Alex Petrovic of the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Schaber and D Austin Madaisky of the Blazers are part of Team WHL for the Wednesday game. . . . Spokane D Jared Cowen will captain Team WHL on Wednesday. Schaber and F Curtis Hamilton of the Saskatoon Blades will serve as alternates. . . . The Blazers, with seven victories in their last 10 games, next play Friday in Everett and Saturday in Portland. Their next home game is Nov. 23 against the Regina Pats.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter

Consider for a few moments, if you will, the road, or roads, travelled by Travis Bobbee during his WHL career.
Bobbee, 20, grew up on a farm near the rural Manitoba community of Arborg. It’s in the Interlake region, about an hour’s drive north of Winnipeg. The population of Arborg in 2006 was 1,021.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes selected Bobbee with the 15th overall pick in the 2005 bantam draft. He played 59 games over two seasons in Lethbridge -- population somewhere around 86,000 -- before being traded to Portland, with a population of slightly more than 500,000, early in 2007-08.
The Winterhawks dealt him to the Swift Current Broncos last season. Swift Current, with a population of 16,000, is the smallest of the 60 communities that are home to CHL teams.
Earlier this season, Bobbee found himself on the move again. This time it was off to Seattle -- population about 600,000, but with something like 4 million living in its metropolitan area.
Going from Portland to Swift Current, Bobbee admits, was a bit of a shock.
“Everything in that town is about five minutes away,” said Bobbee, who scored his first goal of the season in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday night. “It’s unbelievable how small it was.”
But now he’s in Seattle where traffic can be, shall we say, something of a problem.
The Thunderbirds, for example, played at home on Friday night. Rather than wait until Saturday morning to head for Kamloops, they chose to leave right after a 2-0 loss to the Prince George Cougars.
That’s because they knew the traffic would be much lighter at night than at anytime the following day.
As a chuckling Bobbee put it: “Every hour is rush hour” in the Seattle area.
As for making the adjustment from Swift Current to Seattle, Bobbee said: “Now everything is back to the big city life. It’s 15, 20, 25 minutes to get to the rink some days.”
His family is still on the farm at Arborg, so he’s still a small-town boy at heart.
Ask him what he prefers -- big city or small town -- and he replies: “Ahh, I’ll take anything.”
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SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
VANCOUVER 4 at EDMONTON 2: G Brendan Jensen stopped 35 shots for the Giants (10-6-2). . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher broke a 1-1 tie 20 seconds into the second period with his WHL-leading 16th goal. . . . Vancouver F Matt Bellerive got his second just 2:26 later. . . . F James Henry upped the lead to 4-1 at 3:54 of the third. . . . F Michael St. Croix had both Edmonton goals. He has six. . . . The Oil Kings (5-9-1) have lost eight in a row. . . . Vancouver F Craig Cunningham, the WHL’s scoring leader, had two assists. . . . Edmonton starter Cam Lanigan surrendered three goals on six shots. Laurent Brossoit came on to stop 15 of 16. . . . Vancouver was 1-for-4 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,311. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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BRANDON 3 at LETHBRIDGE 6: F Graham Hood scored his second and third goals of the season for the Hurricanes (6-5-3). His first goal gave the home team a 4-0 lead at 16:06 of the first period. . . . Lethbridge F Brady Ramsay scored his first WHL goal at 4:31 of the first to give his side a 2-0 edge. . . . F Cam Braes upped the lead to 3-0 when he ended a 12-game drought at 9:47 of the first. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-10-1) had been 2-0-1 in their last three games. This was the last game in an eight-game road trip that took them through the B.C. Division. Brandon finished 2-5-0-1 on the trip that began Oct. 16 in Swift Current. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes was lifted after one period. He gave up four goals on 14 shots. Liam (Sonny) Liston came on to stop 15 of 17. . . . F Jacob Berglund, F Ryon Moser and D Reid Jackson each had two assists for Lethbridge. . . . F Dominick Favreau scored twice for Brandon, while Mark Stone got his 10th. . . . Brandon was 1-for-5 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-for-4. . . . Lethbridge G Dylan Tait turned aside 32 shots. . . . Brandon F Shayne Wiebe left in the first period with an apparent leg injury and didn’t return. . . . Lethbridge F Brody Sutter returned from a shoulder injury but left after two shifts. . . . Attendance was 2,776. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Brandon F Hampus Gustafsson.
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PRINCE ALBERT 4 at MOOSE JAW 7: F Quinton Howden scored twice in the game’s first 5:03 and the Warriors went on to lead this one 5-1 before the second period was half over. . . . Howden has nine goals. . . . Moose Jaw (7-8-1) has won three straight. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek also scored twice, giving him seven, while F Sam Fioretti had three assists. F Spencer Edwards and F Dylan Hood added two helpers each for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw F Danny Gayle had a goal and two assists. . . . Raiders F Jonathan Parker got his 11th goal of the season. . . . Moose Jaw F A.J. Johnson got his first WHL goal. . . . The Raiders (5-8-4) got two goals from F Todd Fiddler, who has three. . . . Moose Jaw G Brandon Stone stopped 30 shots in what was his second career start and his first complete game. . . . G Jamie Tucker of the Raiders turned aside 31. . . . P.A. was 3-for-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 1-for-6. . . . The Raiders have lost five in a row. . . . Attendance was 2,678. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SPOKANE 11 at REGINA 1: F Levko Koper scored two goals and set up four others for the Chiefs (6-7-0). . . . Koper, who has seven goals, also was plus-5. . . . The Chiefs, who opened an East Division tour with a 3-2 loss in Moose Jaw on Friday, scored twice in the first period and added five more in the second before the Pats got on the board. . . . Regina (5-8-2) had won three straight. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson added two goals and two assists, while F Marek Kalus had two goals and an assist. . . . D Garrett Leedahl, D Brenden Kichton and F Dominik Uher each had two assists. . . . Attendance was 4,327. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SEATTLE 2 at KAMLOOPS 3 (OT): F Jordan DePape scored a PP goals 32 seconds into overtime to win this one. It was his fourth goal of the season. . . . However, the night belonged to Seattle G Calvin Pickard, who stopped 49 shots. . . . DePape and Pickard are boyhood friends from Winnipeg. . . . The Thunderbirds (5-3-4) have lost five straight games but have at least one point in nine of their 12 games. . . . The Blazers (8-7-1) took a 1-0 lead on F Colin Smith’s third goal at 9:43 of the first. . . . The Thunderbirds took a 2-1 lead on goals by D Travis Bobbee, his first, at 15:58 of the second, and F Marcel Noebels, his fourth, on the PP, at 1:10 of the third. . . . Kamloops D Austin Madaisky forced OT with a PP goal at 8:43 of the third. . . . The Blazers outshot Seattle 19-3 in the first period and 16-9 in the second. The home team had three quick PP shots in OT, with DePape slapping home a rebound. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch turned aside 23 shots. . . . Kamloops was 2-for-6 on the PP; Seattle was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 4,058. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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PRINCE GEORGE 4 at TRI-CITY 3 (SO): F Charles Inglis won this one with a shootout goal. . . . He and D Sena Acolatse, both of whom were acquired from Saskatoon this season, both scored in the shootout. F Adam Hughesman scored for the Americans, with Inglis breaking the tie. . . . The Cougars got the game’s first goal, from D Martin Marincin on the PP at 1:55 of the first, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . F Jordan Messier had two goals -- he has 11 -- and an assist for the Americans (11-4-2). . . . Inglis had two assists for the Cougars (9-6-1) who won 2-0 in Seattle on Friday night. . . . The Americans had won their first four home games. . . . The Cougars had been winless in 13 games in the Toyota Center, going back to Nov. 2, 2003. . . . Prince George G Ty Rimmer, coming off the shutout in Seattle, stopped 28 shots, one fewer than Tri-City’s Drew Owsley. . . . Each team was 1-for-3 on the PP. . . . Attendance was 4,165. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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KELOWNA 1 at PORTLAND 6: The Winterhawks (12-2-1) ran their win streak to six with their second victory over the Rockets in two nights. On Friday, Portland beat the visitors 4-2. . . . Kelowna (4-10-0) now has lost three straight. . . . The Winterhawks are 6-1-1 at home. They lead the WHL in points (25), victories (12) and winning percentage (.833). . . . Portland forwards Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi ran their point streaks to nine games. Rattie, who had two goals and an assists, has 20 points in those nine games. Bartschi, who had a goal and assist, has 17 points over the nine games. . . . Rattie, with 28 points, is third in the WHL scoring race. Bartschi, with 23 points, is the WHL’s highest-scoring rookie. . . . Portland F Nino Niederreiter, playing his second game since returning from the NHL’s New York Islanders, scored his first goal. . . . Portland got two assists from each of D Joe Morrow and F Brad Ross. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 29 shots to improve to 6-1. He has allowed five goals over his last five games. . . . Carruth lost his shutout bid when F Shane McColgan scored on the PP at 10:39 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown stopped 35 shots, including a second-period penalty shot by F Taylor Peters. . . . Attendance was 2,508. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SASKATOON 1 at RED DEER 7: F Andrej Kudrna scored three times and set up another to lead the Rebels (11-5-0). . . . Red Deer, which has won three straight, broke open a 1-1 tie with two PP goals in the last minute of the second period, F Byron Froese getting his ninth at 19:12 and Kudrna scoring 35 seconds later. . . . Kudrna now has 12 goals. . . . The Rebels added four third-period goals. . . . Froese finished up with a goal and two assists, while F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists. . . . The Blades are 10-4-0. . . . The Rebels have allowed 31 goals in 16 games. . . . The Blades had earned a 2-1 victory in Red Deer on Oct. 15. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 25 shots. . . . Saskatoon starter Adam Morrison allowed four goals on 28 shots. With Steven Stanford (concussion) out for a week, Adam Todd backed up Morrison and saw his first action. He stopped nine of 12 shots. Todd was brought in from the Kelowna-based Okanagan Rockets of the B.C. major midget league. . . . Saskatoon was 0-for-1 on the PP; the Rebels were 3-for-8. . . . Attendance was 4,897. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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CHILLIWACK 4 at MEDICINE HAT 5: F Linden Vey led the Tigers (7-5-0) with a goal and two assists, his goal, at 16:23 of the third period, giving his guys a 5-3 lead. . . . Vey has four goals on the season. . . . F Emerson Etem scored three times for the Tigers, giving him nine on the season. He scored once at even strength, once on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . F Wacey Hamilton of Medicine Hat broke a 3-3 tie with a PP goal at 4:03 of the third. . . . Tigers D Thomas Carr had two assists. . . . The Bruins (8-5-0) got two assists from F Ryan Howse. . . . Each team was 2-for-7 on the PP. . . . Medicne Hat had lost two in a row, while the Bruins had a four-game winning streak snapped. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.

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