
F Kris Beech (Calgary, 1996-2001) has been loaned to the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) by the Straubing Tigers (Germany, DEL) for the rest of this season. With Straubing, Beech had 24 points, including eight goals, in 36 games. . . .
D Kenton Smith (Calgary, 1995-2000) has returned to the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite) for the rest of the season. Smith left Clan a month ago to be with his family in Cardiff. This season, in 33 games, he has 11 points, three of them goals.
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F Tyler Benson, the first overall selection in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, is expected to play for the Vancouver
Giants against the Rockets in Kelowna tonight. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that Benson is expected to join the Giants on a full-time basis next week. . . . Benson, who is pointless in three games with the Giants, has been playing for the Kelowna-based Pursuit Of Excellence under-18 prep team. He put up 91 points, including 35 goals, in 46 games. That team’s season ends this weekend, freeing Benson up to join the Giants. . . . Ewen also reports Giants F Dominik Volek didn’t practise Thursday because of an undisclosed injury. D Dalton Thrower (ankle) has yet to return to the ice. According to Ewen, “both are unlikely for Friday in Kelowna.“
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Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Kelowna Rockets, was in Kennewick, Wash., on Wednesday night. Here’s a note from his blog:
“In talking to Annie Fowler, the beat writer for the Americans, it was confirmed that the Tri-City Herald Best of the West Poll has met its end. The poll, which allowed players, coaches/management and media to vote on several categories has been a staple for the last 25 years and has always been an interesting conversation piece. The process is time consuming and receiving ballots from teams was always a chore.” . . .
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Prince George is at home for Friday-Saturday doubleheader with the Victoria Royals, and Cougars F Troy Bourke is closing in on the club’s career point record. Bourke has 229 points in 270 regular season games; the record is held by F Eric Hunter (2002-07), who put up 233 points in 323 games. . . . Note that this doesn’t include the Victoria Cougars. . . . Prince George F Todd Fiddler goes into the weekend on a 16-game point streak. He has 30 points, 15 of them goals, over that stretch.---
Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune brings word that the Portland Timbers and Portland Winterhawks have chatted about the possibility of a playing an outdoor WHL game at Providence Park, the home of the MLS team that could seat 20,000 for such a contest. . . . Eggers has more on that right here. . . . There have been two outdoor games played featuring WHL teams. In Spokane, the Chiefs beat the Kootenay Ice 11-2 before 7,075 fans in Avista Stadium on Jan. 15,2011. The Regina Pats beat the host Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in a game played at McMahon Stadium before 20,888 fans on Feb. 21, 2011. (If you are so inclined, there is a list right here of every outdoor game played since Oct. 6, 2001, and there have been more than 100 of them. So much for the novelty!)Eggers also writes about Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike Johnston’s niece, Rebecca, who was a major contributor to the Canadian women’s Olympic hockey team. Oh, and Eggers also confirms that Winterhawks G Brendan Burke has been out with mononucleosis.
Meanwhile, in The Oregonian, Molly Blue talks with Burke, and updates his status. That report is right here.
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The long arm of the law is reaching out in an attempt to locate Link Gaetz. The former WHL defenceman (New Westminster, Spokane, 1986-88) has failed to appear in a Kamloops court room, nor has he been in touch with his lawyer. The result is that an arrest warrant has been issued for Gaetz. There’s more right here from Kamloops This Week.
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IF THE PLAYOFFS BEGAN TODAY:
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Red Deer (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Swift Current (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Kootenay (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Everett (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Spokane (5)
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FRIDAY’S WHL GAMES (all times local):
Lethbridge at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Regina, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES:
No games scheduled.
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From Geoff Baker (@gbakermariners) of the Seattle Times: “Just returned from Seattle delegation trip to Vancouver for (Wednesday) night's #Canucks game. Interesting time. Lots of #NHL optimism brewing.”
The story that Baker filed is right here.
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Judging by the tweets from Tri-City F Tyson Dallman, 20, the Americans released him Monday:
F Taylor Leier of the Portland Winterhawks has signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2012 NHL draft. . . . Leier had 62 points, including 27 goals, in 64 games last season, his second in the WHL. He then added 16 points in 21 playoff games. Leier is from Saskatoon and is presently in Philadelphia at the Flyers’ camp.
The Saskatoon Blades have hired Ray Dudra to scout the U.S. Dudra, who has scouted for 30 years, has previous WHL experience with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Spokane Chiefs and Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Dudra lives in Edmonton but winters in Arizona. . . . According to a Blades’ news release, during the winters Dudra “will scout and track players throughout the United States.”
Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail was canoeing when the Canadian Olympic hockey team coaching staff and more than 40 prospective players gathered in Calgary to, uhh, play ball hockey. . . . Today, MacGregor is wondering just what the heck was going on, and that piece is
Bobby Brett, the owner of the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, and former Chiefs player Pat Falloon will be among five inductees into the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame at the Spokane Arena on Oct. 22. . . . The Spokane Spokesman-Review has more 

In Saskatoon, G Cam Lanigan stopped 42 shots as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Blades, 3-0. . . . The Tigers hold a 2-0 lead in the series after sweeping the Blades in a first-round series a year ago. . . . Lanigan has stopped 84 of 85 shots over two games. . . . Saskatoon now has lost 10 straight playoff games. . . . F Trevor Cox got his second goal in two nights, this one on the PP at 3:32 of the second, and it stood as the winner. . . . Medicine Hat F Mile Koules had a goal and an assist. . . . The Blades were without F Jessey Astles, who drew a ‘tbd’ suspension under supplemental discipline for a first-period hit on Medicine Hat F Matt Staples, who left the game and didn’t return. Staples, who has concussion-like symptoms, was scratched from Game 2, with F Steven Owre taking his place in the lineup. The length of Astles’ suspension is expected to be finalized on Monday. . . . The Blades inserted F Ryan Graham in Astles’ spot. Saskatoon also dressed D Kyle Schmidt and took out D Nelson Nogier. . . . Saskatoon was without F Erik Benoit (undisclosed) for the first two games. . . .
In Edmonton, F Stephane Legault had a seven-point night as the Oil Kings whipped the Kootenay Ice, 9-0. . . . Legault scored three times, added four assists and was a plus-4. . . . The WHL record for most points in a playoff game is eight, shared by F Dave Chartier of the Brandon Wheat Kings (March 27, 1981) and F Alfie Turcotte of the Portland Winterhawks (March 26, 1983). Chartier had five goals and three assists in a 13-4 victory over the visiting Regina Pats. Turcotte was four and four in a 13-4 victory over the host Seattle Breakers. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit stopped 28 shots for his third career playoff shutout. . . . Edmonton struck for five goals in the last 12 minutes of the first period. . . . F Michael St. Croix had a goal and two assists, F Trevor Cheek had two goals and an assist — and was plus-5 — and D Martin Gernat had three assists. . . .
In Calgary, G Chris Driedger turned aside 39 shots to lead the Hitmen to a 3-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hitmen led 3-0 before F Adam Lowry ruined Driedger’s shutout bid at 10:19 of the third on a PP. . . . F Cody Sylvester, F Greg Chase and F Victor Rask scored for Calgary, the first two in the second period, the latter in the third. . . .
In Red Deer, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 31 shots to lead the Rebels to a 3-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Bartosak was the Eastern Conference’s first-team all-star goaltender. . . . F Brooks Maxwell scored 25 seconds into the game — he tipped in a point shot by D Brady Gaudet — and the Rebels were never caught. . . . F Rhyse Dieno scored Red Deer’s second goal, at 19:04 of the first. Just before that, at 16:19, Dieno came up short on a penalty shot attempt. . . . Prince Albert G Luke Siemens made 27 saves. . . .
In Kamloops, F JC Lipon broke a 2-2 tie at 4:37 of the third period and the Blazers went on to beat the Victoria Royals, 3-2. . . . Lipon scored twice, while F Steven Hodges had two goals for Victoria. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 22 shots, with 11 of those coming in the third period. He made four game-saving stops in the third period. . . . G Patrik Polivka, who hadn’t played since March 5, was back in goal for the Royals. He made 33 saves. . . . The Royals were without F Alex Gogolev, their leading scorer. He is out long-term after undergoing surgery to repair damage to a leg from a skate cut. . . . Victoria also was without D Tyler Stahl, its captain. Originally, the Royals had him in the lineup, with question marks beside D Ryan Gagnon and D Isaac Schacher. Stahl took the warmup and then was scratched, with Gagnon and Schacher both staying in and playing. . . .
In Kelowna, F Luke Lockhart scored the game’s last two goals as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Rockets, 5-4. . . . The Rockets took a 4-3 lead by scoring in the last minute of the second period (F Tyson Baillie on a PP at 19:02) and in the first minute of the third period (F Myles Bell at 0:59). . . . Lockhart scored at 13:30 to force OT and then won it at 19:09 of the first extra-time period. . . . Seattle G Brandon Glover stopped 35 shots, 10 fewer than Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke. . . . D Jesse Forsberg and F Roberts Lipsbergs each had a goal and two assists for Seattle. . . . Lipsbergs assists came on Lockhart’s goals. . . . D Damon Severson scored once and added two assists for Kelowna.