Showing posts with label Logan Flodell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Logan Flodell. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Porter: Seven injuries on one play . . . Rockets close on Cougars . . . T-Birds back on top in wild West


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 F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-05) has announced his retirement. This season, he had 19 goals and 41 assists in 46 games with the Braehead Clan Glasgow (Scotland, UK Elite). . . .
F Andrew Clark (Brandon, 2005-09) has signed a one-year extension with Innsbruck (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, he had 23 goals and 34 assists in 49 games.
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 Les Lazaruk was busy on Tuesday night, calling the play of the Saskatoon Blades’ game in Red Deer against the Rebels.
But during some down-time earlier in the day, he compiled standings showing the WHL’s 22 teams before the Jan. 10 trade deadline, after the deadline, and going into last night’s games.
Here you go (figures in parentheses are post-deadline) . . . 
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B.C DIVISION
Prince George 28-11-2 (14-9-3) 42-20-5
Kelowna 24-15-3 (16-6-2) 40-21-5
Kamloops 25-15-3 (13-8-3) 38-23-6
Victoria 22-16-4 (15-7-1) 37-23-5
Vancouver 16-23-3 (3-18-3) 19-41-6
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U.S. DIVISION
Everett 25-5-7 (14-9-4) 39-14-11
Seattle 21-14-4 (20-5-2) 41-19-6
Tri-City 24-17-3 (14-8-0) 38-25-3
Portland 21-18-1 (14-8-3) 35-26-4
Spokane 17-17-7 (9-11-3) 26-28-10
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EAST DIVISION
Regina 27-4-7 (18-8-1) 45-12-8
Moose Jaw 25-9-7 (16-8-1) 41-17-8
Swift Current 23-12-7 (11-8-3) 34-20-10
Brandon 20-16-4 (9-11-6) 29-27-10
Saskatoon 15-22-6 (10-9-3) 25-31-9
Prince Albert 8-31-3 (10-10-4) 18-41-7
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CENTRAL DIVISION
Medicine Hat 29-12-1 (17-7-0) 46-19-1
Lethbridge 22-15-5 (20-2-2) 42-17-7
Red Deer 18-17-6 (8-11-5) 26-28-11
Calgary 14-19-5 (11-11-5) 25-30-10
Edmonton 18-20-4 (2-20-1) 20-40-5
Kootenay 10-24-8 (4-17-2) 14-41-10
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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The Calgary Hitmen were playing the Pats in Regina on Jan. 6 when G Cody Porter went down. Oh, did he! . . . “I had seven injuries on the one play,” Porter said in a story posted at hitmenhockey.com. “It was a third-degree separated shoulder, third-degree dislocated shoulder, third-degree broken collarbone, torn labrum, torn AC joint, torn rotator cuff and a torn Bankart lesion. So it was a pretty serious injury off a play that didn’t seem very serious at the time.” . . . After all that, you have to wonder if his nickname isn’t Doc. . . . Anyway, Porter worked amazingly hard at rehab and is back, at least in a backup role, and it’s just in time because G Trevor Martin is out day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. . . . Porter’s story is right here.
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When the Kamloops Blazers awoke on Friday morning, they were in Prince George, preparing for a game with the Cougars that evening. At the time, the Blazers were second in the B.C. Division, three points behind Prince George.
When the Blazers boarded their bus late Saturday night and headed for home, having lost both ends of a
doubleheader (8-4, 6-1), they were third in the division, seven points behind the Cougars and one behind the surging Kelowna Rockets.
Tonight, the Blazers open a Wednesday/Friday doubleheader against the visiting Victoria Royals. On Tuesday night, the Royals opened a five-game trek with a 4-3 loss in Kelowna.
The Royals went into that game having won six straight games, but all of those were against non-playoff teams (Kootenay, Vancouver and Spokane). Victoria will play in Kelowna again on Saturday.
A Victoria sweep of the Blazers would move the Royals past the Blazers, knocking Kamloops into fourth place in the division.
Such is life in the B.C. Division where four of the WHL’s most competitive teams reside.
The Blazers will have F Jermaine Loewen back for tonight’s game after he served a one-game suspension incurred after he took a cross-checking major and game misconduct on Friday night.
The Royals remain without D Chaz Reddekopp, who has been out since Feb. 15, and F Ryan Peckford, who hasn’t played since Feb. 7, both of whom remain week-to-week. There is a chance that F Tyler Soy, who last played on Feb. 11, could return Friday in Kamloops.
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Mike Fraser, the writing scout, has been out on the playoff trail of late. Just the other day, he was at a bantam game in Alberta when he glanced at the players’ benches and counted the coaches — one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. . . . In his latest column for the Brandon-based Westman Journal Fraser wonders: What’s up with that? . . . It’s all right here.
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If you haven’t seen it already, former WHL/NHL D Brent Sopel opened up his heart and soul with a piece headlined Lost in My Mind that was posted at The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday. . . . This is a heart-wrenching piece about a man who came to believe he was stupid but now knows that he is learning disabled. . . . Former players like Corey Hirsch, who had a piece there earlier, and Sopel are proving that hockey players are people, too. . . . Sopel’s piece is right here.
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JUST NOTES:

The Kamloops Blazers have a pair of 2016 bantam draft picks — F Connor Zary of Saskatoon and D Quinn Schmiemann of Wilcox, Sask. — practising with them this week. Zary, a second-round selection, had 45 points, including 27 goals, with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts this season. Schmiemann played with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds, who play out of Wilcox. He had 11 goals and 15 assists in 42 games. . . . Both players are scheduled to return to their homes on Sunday. . . . 
F Keyvan Mokhtari of the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies has committed to Colorado College, starting with the 2018-19 season. A native of Burnaby, B.C., he had 36 points, including 19 goals, in 47 games with the Grizzlies this season. . . . Mokhtari, who will turn 19 on May 4, was a seventh-round selection by the Everett Silvertips in the 2013 WHL bantam draft.
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If the WHL playoffs began today . . . 

Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Saskatoon
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Seattle vs. Portland
Prince George vs. Victoria
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Everett vs. Tri-City
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:


At Kelowna, the Rockets built a 4-0 lead and hung on for a 4-3 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . F
NOLAN FOOTE
Nolan Foote got the Rockets started with his 17th goal — he’s 16 years of age — at 9:31 of the first period. . . . Kelowna went ahead 2-0 on F Carsen Twarynski’s 16 goal, at 4:33 of the second period. . . . F Calvin Thurkauf scored No. 33 just 22 seconds later. . . . F Leif Mattson (7) upped the lead to 4-0 at 5:19 of the third period. . . . The Royals made things interesting with three goals in the second-half of the third period. . . . F Jack Walker scored his 29th goal at 12:40. F Jared Dmytriw, who now has 15 goals, added scores at 12:58 and 18:45. . . . Walker also had an assist. . . . The Rockets got two assists from D James Hilsendager. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Victoria starter Giffen Outhouse was beaten three times on 22 shots in 24:55. Dylan Myskiw came off the bench to stop 15 of 16 shots in 34:48. . . . Kelowna was 0-2 on the PP; Victoria was 0-4. . . . The Rockets (41-21-5) have won five in a row to close with two points of the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars. . . . The Royals (37-24-5) had points in their previous seven games (6-0-1). They are fourth in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. The Royals play in Kamloops on Wednesday and Friday nights. . . . Announced attendance: 4,507.
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At Medicine Hat, F Chad Butcher scored 36 seconds into OT to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Butcher, who has 25 goals, had drawn the primary assist on F John Dahlstrom’s game-
CHAD BUTCHER
tying goal, at 16:11 of the third period. He’s got 28 goals. . . . The Tigers got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Mark Rassell (34), who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, at 8:17 of the first period, and D Clayton Kirichenko (12), at 4:47 of the second. . . . The Ice took the lead on three third-period goals. F Brett Davis got his 18th at 1:44. F Colton Kroeker scored No. 17 at 6:40. F Vince Loschiavo, with assists on the first two goals, put the visitors out front with his 25th goal at 8:08. . . . Medicine Hat G Michael Bullion actually made a glove save on Loschiavo’s shot, but it turned out that the glove was over the goal line. . . . D David Quenneville had two assists for Medicine Hat. . . . Kroeker and Davis had one each for the Ice. . . . The Tigers had anticipated starting G Nick Schneider, but he came up ill during the warmup, so Bullion made his fifth straight start. He earned the victory with 24 saves. . . . G Payton Lee blocked 30 shots for Kootenay. . . . The Ice was 0-2 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-3. . . . The Ice went 1-3-1 on a five-game road trip. . . . Medicine Hat (47-19-1) leads the Central Division, by four points over Lethbridge and is second in the overall standings, three points behind Regina. . . . The Ice (14-41-11) has lost four in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,030.
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TYLER STEENBERGEN
At Prince Albert, F Tyler Steenbergen broke a 2-2 tie with 57.9 seconds left in the third period as the Swift Current Broncos beat the Raiders, 4-2. . . . Steenbergen has 47 goals, one off the WHL lead that is held by F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Steenbergen does lead the WHL in game-winners, with 11. . . . The Broncos iced it with an empty-netter from F Ryley Lindgren (23), at 19:42. . . . F Parker Kelly had given the Raiders a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 8:57 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it when F Lane Pederson got No. 20 at 13:55. . . . It stayed that way well into the third period when F Kaden Elder put the visitors ahead with his 15th goal, at 10:25. . . . Kelly tied it with his second of the game and 18th of the season at 13:07. He’s got four goals and two assists over his past two games. . . . The Broncos got two assists from D Artyom Minulin. . . . G Jordan Papirny earned the victory with 33 saves. . . . G Ian Scott was beaten three times on 33 shots in 55:15, with G Nic Sanders stopping both shots he faced in 4:16. Sanders came on while Scott had an equipment issue. . . . The Raiders were 1-3 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-2. . . . Swift Current (35-20-10) has won five in a row, the last three of those on the road, and appears headed to a third-place finish in the East Division. . . . Prince Albert now is 18-42-7. . . . Announced attendance: 1,886. . . . Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, was in the house and posted this right here.
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At Red Deer, F Jesse Shynkaruk scored with 16.5 seconds left in OT to give the Saskatoon Blades a 2-1
JESSE SHYNKARUK
victory over the Rebels. . . . It was Shynkaruk’s second goal of the game, his fourth OT goal this season and his 10th game-winner of the season. . . . F Deven Sideroff of the Kamloops Blazers has five OT goals this season, tying the WHL record (F Eric Fehr, Brandon Wheat Kings, 2004-05). . . . Shynkaruk, 20, was a walk-on to the Blades’ training camp as he hoped to extend his WHL career. When this season began, Shynkaruk had 23 goals and 25 assists in 196 career regular-season games. This season, he has put up 51 points, including 30 goals, in 52 games. . . . Shynkaruk had opened the scoring, on a PP, at 1:12 of the first period. . . . The Rebels tied it at 12:10 of the second on F Evan Polei’s 29th goal of the season. . . . The Blades got 35 saves from G Logan Flodell. . . . At the other end, Riley Lamb also stopped 35 shots. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-4. . . . The Calgary Hitmen didn’t want to see this game turn into a three-pointer, but it did. Saskatoon (26-31-9), which plays in Calgary tonight, moved into the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Hitmen. Red Deer (26-28-12) is third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Calgary. . . . Announced attendance: 4,029. . . . Greg Meachem of reddeerrebels.com has a game story right here. It’s worth a click to see the photo by Rob Wallator that features Red Deer’s Matt Campese and Saskatoon’s Jackson Caller.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds moved back atop the Western Conference standings with a 5-2
KEEGAN KOLESAR
victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Thunderbirds (42-19-6) lead the conference by one point over the Prince George Cougars. Seattle also leads the U.S. Division, by a point over the Everett Silvertips. . . . F Hudson Elynuik (26) gave the Chiefs a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the first period, but the Thunderbirds roared back to score the next five goals. . . . F Alexander True (21) tied it, on a PP, at 9:08, and D Turner Ottenbreit (6) shot Seattle into the lead at 10:45. . . . D Anthony Bishop gave Seattle a 3-1 lead with his second goal of the season at 19:30. . . . F Keegan Kolesar (26) and F Donovan Neuls (14) added third-period goals for the winners. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto scored Spokane’s final goal, his 37th, on a penalty shot at 19:07 of the third period. . . . Seattle got two assists from each of F Mathew Barzal and F Ryan Gropp, with Kolesar adding one. Kolesar is riding a 15-game point streak. . . . Seattle D Ethan Bear had an assist in his return to the lineup, running his point streak to 13 games. . . . Seattle got 26 saves from Rylan Toth, who  leads the WHL with 35 victories. . . . Spokane starter Jayden Sittler allowed five goals on 28 shots in 46:28. Donovan Buskey finished up, stopping all five shots he faced in 13:32 in the second appearance of his WHL career. . . . Seattle was 1-2 on the PP; Spokane was 0-3. . . . The Chiefs (26-29-10) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). They are 12 points out of a playoff spot with seven games remaining. . . . Announced attendance: 5,807.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Saskatoon at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Portland 7 p.m.
Everett at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.

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Friday, March 3, 2017

Pats' financial losses not unexpected ... Tigers roar back in Regina ... Seattle back on top in U.S.





When Bill Peters was the head coach of the Spokane Chiefs, I always made a point of stopping for a post-game conversation.
Why?
NHLBecause he never met a question he wouldn’t answer and because he always had questions of his own. He always wanted to know what was happening.
On Friday, Peters, now the head coach of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, was asked about his club’s goaltending and whether Cam Ward and Eddie Lack were involved in any kind of competition for the starter’s role.
“You've gotta push," Peters replied. “The one guy's played 10 games. Eddie's played 10 games and was poor in his last outing, let's not kid ourselves, right?
"There were 16 shots and four went in. Not good enough. You look at his numbers in the league and they're not good enough. So I don't think it's much of a competition. I think we've got a guy who's well ahead of the other guy. That's what I see and the numbers back that up.”
Still, it sounds as though Peters will be giving Lack 2-4-2, 3.33, .873) at least one more opportunity.
"When he gets in again, he better play," Peters said. "You better earn some respect from your teammates. Your teammates are out there working their bag off, you better get some saves. And a timely save at the right time wouldn't hurt.”
That’s gold if you’re a sports journalist, something there is darn little of these days.
NHLThe same holds true for comments from Claude Julien, the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Asked about defensive zone adjustments his club has made, Julien chose to answer the question with an honest explanation, rather than bafflegab.
“The biggest thing is we call it a bit of a swarm, which all teams do,” Julien explained. “When the puck’s in the corner we’re trying to outnumber teams. If there’s two in there, we’re three, but we’re tight. We’re not giving them an opportunity to make plays.
“I think we’re closing the play a little quicker, so instead of being passive we’re a little bit more aggressive, but we can be more aggressive because we’ve got more people there to give you some second layers and third layers. That’s what we’ve done.
“I think we’ve closed the play a little quicker. Where I think we’ve improved a lot from the start is we were doing it well, but once we got the puck we were having trouble getting our breakouts from that swarm.
“So now we’re getting used to understanding that our wingers are low, we can’t just rim the puck hard to the boards. We either make soft rims or we skate with it until a players’ out there. So both those things, we’re giving less scoring chances because we’re spending probably a little less time (in our zone), and the time we’re spending in there the A-grade (scoring chances) of the other team have really gone down.”
Wonderful. Just wonderful. Here’s hoping coaches everywhere are paying attention.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed F Aidan Barfoot, who was a sixth-round pick in the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Barfoot, from Richmond, B.C., has 12 goals and 13 assists in 33 games with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League. 
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According to the numbers, the Regina Pats have been one of the WHL’s biggest money-losing franchises over the past couple of seasons. As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post reports: “According to financial details revealed this week, the Pats recorded the largest deficit in the 22-team WHL during the 2014-15 season ($1.2 million). Their net loss was just under $900,000 in 2015-16, bringing the total deficit to more than $2 million despite back-to-back winning seasons and two straight trips to the second round of the playoffs.” . . . The figures were contained in financial statements that were released as more than 400 former and present CHL players seek certification for a class-action lawsuit that asks that teams pay minimum wage and other benefits. . . . Despite losing money, the Pats’ ownership group, Queen City Sports and Entertainment Group, isn’t concerned. In fact, Anthony Marquardt, the group’s president, explains that buying the franchise was a long-term investment and that the owners new going in that there would be some expenses in the early days. . . . Harder’s story is right here.
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The lawsuit involving the CHL and its teams continues, with things now having shifted to a court in Toronto. As Rick Westhead of TSN reports right here, the focus has turned to the value of franchises, especially those that were sold between 2012 and 2016. . . . Westhead’s latest story is right here.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Brandon, F Caiden Daley had the first three-point game of his WHL career in helping the Wheat Kings to a 6-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Daley, a first-round selection in the 2015 WHL bantam draft,
CAIDEN DALEY
has a goal and eight assists in 53 games this season. . . . F Nolan Patrick, F Tyler Coulter and F Reid Duke also had three points each for Brandon. . . . Patrick’s 18th goal got Brandon started at 19:47 of the first period. Patrick, who also had two assists, now has 42 points in 27 games. . . . Patrick’s first assist was the 200th point of his career. It came in his 157th game. . . . Brandon went ahead 2-0 when F Ty Lewis got his 29th goal, at 1:41 of the second period. . . . F Jake Kryski’s 18th goal, on a PP, got Calgary on the scoreboard at 5:01. . . . The Wheat Kings got the game’s last four goals, from F Reid Duke (35), F Tyler Coulter, who scored twice to give him 29, and F Stelio Matheos (24). Two of those came via the PP. . . . Duke and D James Shearer each had two assists, with Mattheos, Lewis and Coulter each getting one. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson stopped 36 shots, while Calgary’s Kyle Dumba blocked 27. . . . G Cody Porter was back on Calgary’s bench after not having played since Jan. 1. . . . The Hitmen also had F Lucas Cullen back for the first time since Dec. 10. . . . Brandon was 2-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (29-26-10) had lost their previous six games (0-4-2). They hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . The Hitmen (24-30-10) have lost three straight. They are tied with Saskatoon for the conference’s second wild-card spot. Each has eight games remaining. . . . The Wheat Kings are celebrating their 50th anniversary and as part of the celebrations are naming the top 50 players. Last night, they introduced a fourth line of Jordin Tootoo, Matt Calvert and Mark Stone. . . . Announced attendance: 4,008.
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At Everett, F Nolan Foote scored the only goal of a six-round shootout as the Kelowna Rockets beat the
NOLAN FOOTE
Silvertips, 3-2. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored twice for Kelowna, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 1:22 of the first period and putting them ahead 2-1 at 19:11 of the second. . . . Everett D Jake Christiansen (6) tied the game 1-1 at 7:50 of the second. . . . F Patrick Bajkov’s 26th goal, at 11:40 of the third period, pulled Everett into a 2-2 draw. . . . D Kevin Davis had two assists for Everett, with Bajkov and Christiansen adding one each. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 34 shots for the Rockets through OT, then was perfect in the shootout. . . . Everett got 23 saves from G Carter Hart. . . . Kelowna was 0-3 on the PP; Everett was 0-4. . . . F Tomas Soustal was among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . Mitch Love, Everett’s veteran assistant coach, had a $500 hole in his wallet. That’s how much he was fined by the WHL after getting tossed from a Wednesday game against the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Rockets (39-21-5) have won three in a row. They have moved into second place in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of Kamloops. . . . The Silvertips (38-14-11) have lost three straight (0-2-1). They slipped to second in the U.S. Division, one point behind Seattle. Everett holds two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 4,811.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes scored at 1:44 of OT to give the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Hughes won it with his 26th goal of the season. . . . This was Game 2 of a
RYAN HUGHES
tripleheader. The Winterhawks had beaten the Giants, 5-1, in Langley, B.C., on Wednesday night. They’ll play again in Portland tonight. . . . Last night, the Giants forced OT with two late third-period goals. . . . D Jordan Wharrie scored his fourth goal at 18:40 and F Jordan Borstmayer tied it with his sixth goal, with just 42.8 seconds showing on the clock. . . . F Keegan Iverson (21) had given Portland a 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the second period. . . . The Giants took a 2-1 lead on goals from F Ty Ronning (24) at 7:41, and F Jack Flaman (14), at 8:32. . . . The Winterhawks scored the next three goals, with F Skyler McKenzie getting No. 37, on a PP, at 10:50; F Brad Ginnell (6) scoring at 15:33; and F Matt Revel getting his ninth goal, and second in three games with Portland, at 16:37 of the third period. . . . F Cody Glass had two assists for the winners, with Iverson and McKenzie getting one each. . . . Flaman and Ronning had an assist each for the Giants. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 27 shots for Portland, 10 fewer than Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic. . . . Portland was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Giants had F Tyler Ho, a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, and D Bowen Byram, the third-overall selection in the 2016 draft, in their lineup. . . . Portland (34-26-4) has won two in a row. They are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Giants (19-40-6) have lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 5,469.
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At Prince Albert, F Matt Alfaro scored twice and added an assist to help the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 5-
MATT ALFARO
2 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead on first-period PP goals from Alfaro, at 8:44, and F Zak Zborosky, at 12:31. . . . F Simon Stransky got the Raiders close with his 18th goal at 7:58 of the second period. . . . The Hurricane regained their two-goal lead when F Egor Babenko (21) scored at 16:14. . . . Prince Albert D Max Martin (7) narrowed the lead at 17:30. . . . Lethbridge put it away on third-period goals from F Tyler Wong, who leads the WHL with 48 goals, at 7:30, and Alfaro, his 25th, on a PP, at 13:47. . . . The Hurricanes got two assists from each of Wong, D Brennan Menell and F Giorgio Estephan. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 38 shots for Lethbridge, while the Raiders got 36 stops from G Nic Sanders. . . . Lethbridge was 3-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-6. . . . The Hurricanes (41-17-7) have won five in a row. They are second in the Central Division, four points behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Raiders (17-41-7) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 2,026.
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At Prince George, D Brendan Guhle returned from a 12-game absence to score one goal and draw three assists as the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers, 8-4. . . . Guhle, who was out with an ankle injury, had
BRENDAN GUHLE
last played on Jan. 29. He had 24 points, 11 of them goals, in 26 games with the Cougars, who acquired him from the Prince Albert Raiders in November. . . . F Kody McDonald gave the hosts a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 2:05 of the first period. . . . Kamloops tied it on F Luc Smith’s 12th goal, at 7:30. . . . McDonald, who has 15 goals, put his guys back out front at 10:02. . . . The Cougars then took control with four second-period goals in a span of 10:06. . . . F Colby McAuley (23) scored at 1:50, with F Nikita Popugaev (27) scoring at 4:05, Guhle gett his 13th goal at 9:33, and F Radovan Bondra putting in No. 31, at 11:56. . . . The Blazers got to within 6-3 on goals from F Travis Walton (5), at 15:10, and F Quinn Benjafield (13), on a PP, at 17:52. . . . The Cougars put it away on a pair of goals from F Jared Bethune, at 19:31 of the second and 3:24 of the third. . . . F Collin Shirley finished the scoring with No. 26, shorthanded, at 14:26. . . . The Cougars got two assists from each of D Sam Ruopp, F Josh Curtis and F Jesse Gabrielle, with Bethune, Bondra, McDonald and McAuley adding one apiece. . . . F Lane Bauer had two assists for Kamloops, and Shirley had one. . . . G Ty Edmonds earned the victory with 27 saves. . . . Kamloops starter Connor Ingram stopped 27 of 32 shots in 31:07, with Dylan Ferguson coming on in relief to allow three goals on 18 shots in 28:53. . . . Prince George was 1-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-4. . . . It was the second time in a week that Kamloops allowed eight goals — they were beaten 8-2 by the visiting Kelowna Rockets — after not having done so since Jan. 22, 2016. In that one, the Blazers lost 9-4 in Prince George. . . . The Cougars continue to play without F Brad Morrison (undisclosed injury). . . . Kamloops lost F Jermaine Loewen to a cross-checking major and game misconduct at 11:24 of the third period. . . . Prince George (41-20-5) now leads the B.C. Division by four points over Kelowna. . . . Kamloops (38-22-6) is third, one point behind Kelowna. . . . The two teams are scheduled to meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . The Cougars went into Friday's game having gone 0-7-2 in their previous nine games against teams in possession of playoff spots. They hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record since Jan. 18 when they scored a 6-5 shootout victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks. . . . Announced attendance: 4,273.
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At Regina, D Jordan Henderson had a goal and two assists to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 6-4 victory over the Pats. . . . The Tigers came all the way back from a 3-0 deficit in a battle of the WHL’s top
JORDAN HENDERSON
two teams — at least according to the overall standings. . . . Regina led 3-0 early in the second period on goals from F Austin Wagner (28), at 4:48 of the first period, F Nick Henry (32), at 1:37 of the second period, and D Josh Mahura (15), at 2:32. . . . Henderson’s sixth goal, at 11:43, cut into the lead and F Mark Rassell’s 33rd goal got the visitors to within one at 17:10. . . . F Sam Steel’s 45th goal, shorthanded, at 18:46 seemed to put the Pats back in control. . . . However, the Tigers stormed back with four third-period goals. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko got No. 11 at 1:58 and F Chad Butcher (24) tied it at 13:49. . . . F Steve Owre broke the tie with his 24th goal, at 15:50, and F Zach Fischer got the empty-netter at 19:19. He’s got 30 goals. . . . Henderson has 18 points, five of them goals, in 19 games with the Tigers, who acquired him from the Saskatoon Blades. He had started the season with the Spokane Chiefs. Prior to joining the Tigers, Henderson had two goals and 15 assists in 132 games. . . . Owre, Butcher, Rassell and Fischer each had an assist. . . . The Pats got two assists from F Adam Brooks, with Steel adding one. . . . G Michael Bullion, in his third straight start for the Tigers, made 33 saves. . . . G Tyler Brown stopped 34 shots for Regina. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . The Tigers (46-18-1) have won four in a row to close within three points of the Pats, who lead the overall standings. . . . Regina (44-11-8) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) for the first time this season. . . . Announced attendance: 5,759.
——
LOGAN FLODELL
At Saskatoon, G Logan Flodell blocked 20 shots to lead the Blades to a 4-0 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Flodell, who turned 20 on Feb. 10, has three shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk gave the Blades a 1-0 lead with his 28th goal just 54 seconds into the game. . . . Saskatoon went ahead 2-0 on a PP goal by F Mason McCarty, his 18th, at 17:41. . . . F Kirby Dach added insurance with his fourth goal, at 4:29 of the second period, and F Markson Bechtold put it away with his eighth goal just 15 seconds later. . . . F Michael Farren had three assists, with McCarty, Bechtold and Dach adding one apiece. . . . The Ice got 24 saves from G Jakob Walter. . . . The Blades (25-31-8) had lost their previous two games. They now are tied with Calgary for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Ice slipped to 14-39-10. . . . Announced attendance: 3,783.
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At Kent, Wash., the Seattle Thunderbirds built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 27 shots in recording his WHL-leading 34th victory. . . .
RYLAN TOTH
Seattle F Mathew Barzal, playing in his 200th regular-season game, scored his 10th goal for a 1-0 lead 57 seconds into the first period. Barzal also had an assist on Seattle’s third goal. . . . F Sami Moilanen scored Seattle’s other two goals, giving him 20. He counted at 11:17 of the first period and again at 13:38 of the second. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (13) cut into Tri-City’s deficit at 8:27 of the third period, and F Kyle Olson’s 18th goal made it a one-goal game at 11:05. . . . F Nolan Volcan had two assists for Seattle. . . . Coghlan added an assist to his goal. . . . The Americans got 20 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . There was only one minor penalty called in the game. . . . Tri-City was 0-1 on the PP; Seattle’s unit never got on the ice. . . . Seattle F Mathew Wedman was back in the lineup after missing 25 games with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Thunderbirds remain without three top-end players — D Ethan Bear, D Jarret Tyszka and F Scott Eansor. . . . D Tyson Terretta, who turned 17 on Feb. 22, made his WHL debut with Seattle. From High River, Alta., he was a sixth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He had a goal and nine assists in 34 games with the midget AAA Foothills CFR Chemical Bisons of Strathmore, Alta. . . . The Thunderbirds (41-18-6) have points in four straight (3-0-1). They now lead the U.S. Division by a point over Everett. . . . The Americans (38-24-3) had won their previous seven games. They are third in the U.S. Division, eight points behind Everett and seven in front of Portland. . . . Announced attendance: 5,066.
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At Victoria, the Royals scored the game’s last three goals to beat the Spokane Chiefs, 4-3. . . . Trailing 3-1, the Royals got two PP goals from F Dante Hannoun, the second with 0.2 seconds left in the second
DANTE HANNOUN
period. . . . Hannoun, who has 23 goals, also scored at 16:43 of the second to cut the deficit to one. . . . F Matt Phillips snapped the tie with his 44th goal, at 13:54 of the third period. . . . F Jaret Anderson-Dolan had given Spokane a 1-0 lead with his 35th goal, at 4:54 of the first period. . . . The Royals tied it on a PP as F Jack Walker got his 28th goal, at 18:27. . . . The Chiefs went up 3-1 on second-period goals from F Ondrej Najman (5), at 1:51, and F Ethan McIndoe (17), at 14:46. . . . Phillips and F Vladimir Bobylev had two assists each for the Royals, with Walker adding one. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 26 shots in earning his franchise-record 33rd victory of the season. G Coleman Vollrath had set the previous record last season. . . . The Chiefs got 28 saves from G Jayden Sittler. . . . The Royals were 3-3 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-2. . . . Victoria (36-23-5) has points in six straight games (5-0-1). It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot and is fourth in the B.C. Division, five points behind Kamloops. . . . The Chiefs slipped to 26-28-9. They have nine games remaining and are 11 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,148.

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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Portland, 6 p.m.
Kootenay at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Calgary at Regina, 7 p.m.
Lethbridge at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:55 PM
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Saturday, January 21, 2017

Take finances with grain of salt? ... Phillips fills hat again ... Milestone for Clouston as Tigers win


F Chris Langkow (Spokane, Saskatoon, Everett, 2005-10) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with VÀsterÄs (Sweden, Allsvenskan). This season, with Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia, Erste Bank Liga), he had 10 goals and 18 assists in 41 games. He was granted his release for financial reasons this week. . . .
F Jakub Rumpel (Medicine Hat, 2006-07) has signed with Preussen Berlin (Germany, Oberliga). He had been on a tryout with Schönheide (Germany, Oberliga) in November. In four games, he had a goal and two assists.
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Like many of us, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has looked over the financial information involving OHL and WHL teams that was released by the CHL on Thursday.
And what did he think?
“In an effort to get out in front of the story and win the case in the court of public opinion,” Campbell writes, “the Canadian Hockey League . . . released some of the financial information it had previously been trying to keep from the prying eyes of everyone outside its inner circle. It’s a curious move to say the least. And when you look at the numbers, you get the sense that the CHL is cherry picking on the same level as an out-of-shape beer leaguer who constantly hangs out at the opponent’s blueline.
“The CHL has crafted its message, complete with an expert opinion saying teams would have to consider ceasing operations if they had to pay players minimum wage, giving people just enough information to portray themselves as downtrodden philanthropists interested only in providing entertainment and helping young men realize their NHL dreams, without really telling us where the money trail actually leads. Well played.”
The releasing of these figures is part of the CHL’s attempts to neutralize attempts by around 370 present and former players to get the OK to move forward with class-action lawsuits in Alberta and Ontario aimed at forcing the major junior leagues to pay minimum wage, among other things.
“The WHL claimed revenues of just over $80 million in 2015,” Campbell notes. “The cost to pay the players minimum wage in that league would be about $300,000 per year per team for a total cost of about $6.6 million, which would amount to about 8.25 percent of total revenues.
“What business in any part of the real world would be able to claim revenues of more than $136 million, then try to convince people that it couldn’t afford to pay 850 of its employees minimum wage? Welcome to the world of junior hockey where it seems no matter how much money a team makes, its expenses seem to rise at the same rate. How the heck are these people ever expected to make a go of it?”
Campbell’s complete piece is right here. 
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Coaching Game
The ECHL’s Quad City Mallards have fired general manager/head coach Terry Ruskowski, who was in his fifth season on the job. Phil Axtell, an assistant coach for two years, was named interim head coach, while the search for a full-time head coach gets started. . . . The Mallards were 19-16-2 and in fourth place in the seven-team Central Division at the time of the firing. However, they had lost six of their past seven games. . . . The Mallards were 160-122-31 under Ruskowski. . . . "I was shocked a little bit because we were still over .500," Ruskowski told Bobby Metcalf of the Quad-City Times. "We played the last three weeks really shorthanded with guys out of the lineup, guys called up, I was trying to patch things together until everybody got healthy. I think I would have probably understood if we had a full lineup and were semi-successful, I probably would have understood more but it was their decision. They hired me and I appreciate what they've done for me the last four to five years." . . . Ruskowski, 62, is from Prince Albert. He played three sesaons (1971-74) with the Swift Current Broncos before going on to a 15-year professional career in the WHA and NHL. He also spent two seasons (1989-91) in the WHL as the head coach of the Saskatoon Blades.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, F Matt Phillips, whose NHL rights belong to the Calgary Flames, scored three times and
MATT PHILLIPS
added an assist to help the Victoria Royals to a 7-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . Phillips, who has 35 goals, had scored three goals on Thursday night as the Royals beat the host Edmonton Oil Kings, 6-3. He was a sixth-round pick by the Flames in the NHL’s 2016 draft. . . . Last night, the Royals jumped out to a 4-0 lead. F Vladimir Bobylev had a goal, his fifth, and two assists in that outburst, while Phillips scored twice and F Regan Nagy got No. 13. . . . F Beck Malenstyn (19) got the Hitmen on the scoreboard with a PP goal, at 5:01 of the second. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (9) and D Ralph Jarratt (1) counted for Victoria at 7:14 of the second and 9:57 of the third period. . . . F Matteo Gennaro got his 26th for Calgary at 15:20. . . . Phillips completed his fifth career hat trick and third this season at 16:51. . . . Victoria F Tyler Soy had three assists, giving him seven in two games, while Bobylev also finished with three helpers. Reddekopp added one. . . . Gennaro and Malenstyn had an assist each. . . . The Royals got 25 saves from G Griffen Outhouse, who won for the 26th time. That ties him with Nick Schneider of the Medicine Hat Tigers for the WHL lead. . . . Calgary starter Kyle Dumba allowed five goals on 16 shots in 27:14, with Trevor Martin coming on to play 32:46 and stop 13 of 15 shots. . . . Calgary was 1-4 on the PP; Victoria was 0-3. . . . The Royals (26-18-4) have won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (17-21-6) has won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 7,243.
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At Everett, G Carter Hart stopped 33 shots as the Silvertips beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 1-0. . . . Hart
CARTER HART
posted his WHL-leading sixth shutout of the season and the 16th of his career. He was especially busy in the third period when the Thunderbirds held a 16-4 edge in shots. . . . The game’s lone goal came from F Orrin Centazzo, who scored No. 4, on a PP, at 9:14 of the first period. . . . Seattle G Rylan Toth stopped 13 shots. . . . Everett was 1-4 on the PP; Seattle was 0-4. . . . The Silvertips had F Dominic Zwerger among their scratches, while Seattle continues without F Scott Eansor. . . . The Silvertips have added F Ethan Browne, 15, to their roster. He had been playing for the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. Everett selected Browne in the first round of the WHL’s 2016 bantam draft. Browne, who is from Sherwood Park, has 23 points, including seven goals, in 23 games with the Kings. Browne wasn’t in the lineup for this one. . . . The Silvertips (29-6-8) are second in the overall standings, two points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Thunderbirds (24-15-6) had won their previous six games. They are third in the U.S. Division. . . . The Thunderbirds were fined $500 for a warm-up violation on Tuesday prior to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Silvertips. . . . Announced attendance: 6,867.
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At Kamloops, F Lane Bauer scored in the fourth round of a shootout to give the Blazers a 4-3 victory over
LANE BAUER
the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Kamloops G Connor Ingram stopped 33 shots through OT and made four more saves in the shootout. . . . Kamloops took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Garrett Pilon (11), at 1:21, and F Nic Holowko (3), at 10:31. . . . Portland tied it in the second period when D Keoni Texeira (9) scored at 6:48 and F Joachim Blichfeld got his 13th, at 8:22, on a PP. . . . Kamloops went back out front on F Rudolfs Balcers’ 25th goal, at 8:42. . . . The Winterhawks forced OT when F Colton Veloso (11) counted at 3:11 of the third period. . . . D Dallas Valentine had two assists for Kamloops. . . . F Cody Glass was outstanding for Portland and drew two assists. . . . G Cole Kehler, who was acquired from the Blazers prior to the season, stopped 30 shots. . . . Portland was 1-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-5. . . . The Winterhawks welcomed back D Caleb Jones and F Cody Glass, both of whom had been ill. . . . Kamloops (28-16-3) has won three in a row. It is second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . Portland (22-20-3) has lost four in a row (0-2-2), but still holds down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Winterhawks were fined $500 for “actions of team member” at Prince George on Wednesday. . . . Announced attendance: 3,630.
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At Prince George, G Zach Sawchenko stopped 34 shots to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 2-1 victory
ZACH SAWCHENKO
over the Cougars. . . . Sawchenko turned aside all 12 shots he faced in the first period and all 14 in the third. . . . The game’s three goals came in a span of 3:47 in the second period. . . . F Spencer Bast (7) opened the scoring for Moose Jaw at 7:04. . . . F Brett Howden’s 24th goal, on a PP, at 9:32, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . F Colby McAuley (16) scored for the Cougars at 10:51. . . . The Cougars got 20 saves from G Ty Edmonds. . . .  Moose Jaw was 1-4 on the PP; Prince George was 0-2. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle of the Cougars sat this one out as he completed a three-game suspension. D Sam Ruopp is still out with an undisclosed injury. . . . The game drew a sellout crowd with a 50/50 promotion. Canadian Tire started it off with $25,000 and by draw time the total was $123,851, meaning one fan won $61,425. . . . The Warriors (28-12-7) went 3-2-0 in the B.C. Division. They wind up a six-game road trip in Edmonton on Sunday. Moose Jaw is second in the East Division, two points behind the Regina Pats, who hold five games in hand, and five ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Cougars (33-13-2) had won their previous five games. They lead the overall standings. . . . Announced attendance: 5,896.
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At Red Deer, D Brayden Pachal scored on a PP at 14:51 of the third period to give the Prince Albert
BRAYDEN PACHAL
Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . The victory allowed the Raiders to snap an 11-game losing streak (0-8-3). . . . Pachal’s first goal of the season came in his sixth game with the Raiders since being acquired from the Victoria Royals. He went into the game with one career goal in 80 regular-season games. . . . F Jordy Stallard’s 12th goal gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at 5:03 of the first period. . . . The Rebels took a 2-1 lead on second-period goals from F Michael Spacek and F Evan Polei, each of whom scored his 20th goal. Spacek scored at 1:37, with Polei counting on a PP at 8:47. . . . The Raiders tied it when F Parker Kelly scored his eighth goal at 18:03 of the second period. . . . Stallard also had two assists, with Kelly getting one. . . . Spacek added an assist to his goal. . . . Prince Albert G Nic Sanders blocked 40 shots to earn his first victory with the Raiders. He had been 0-9-3 since being acquired from the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 13. . . . Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen stopped 24 shots. . . . Prince Albert was 1-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 1-5. . . . The Raiders continue to play without F Simon Stransky, F Tim Vanstone and F Drew Warkentine, all out with undisclosed injuries. . . . The Raiders now are 9-34-5. . . . The Rebels (20-20-7) have lost four straight (0-3-1), but still are a comfortable third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 4,800.
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At Regina, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s first three goals and the last three as they beat the
STEVE OWRE
Pats, 8-5. . . . The Tigers (31-15-1) lead the Central Division; the Pats (29-6-7) are atop the East Division. . . . Medicine Hat got first-period goals from F Steve Owre, at 5:31, F Mark Rassell, at 10:03, and Rassell, again, at 11:14. Rassell has 20 goals. . . . Regina came back with PP goals from F Dawson Leedahl, at 14:22, and F Adam Brooks (25), at 18:54. . . . F John Dahlstrom restored Medicine Hat’s three-goal lead at 1:51 of the second period, but Regina’s Sam Steel (33) got that one back at 2:36. . . . Dahlstrom, who has 21 goals, scored again at 17:33 and the Tigers took a 5-3 lead into the third period. . . . Regina tied it on goals from F Jeff de Wit (6), at 4:57, and Leedahl (21), at 6:00. . . . Owre broke the tie with his 17th goal, at 8:44, and F Zach Fischer added two insurance goals, at 15:01 and 16:57. . . . Fischer has 26 goals. . . . Owre also had two assists, as did D Clayton Kirichenko, while F Chad Butcher drew three of them. . . . Steel added three assists for Regina, with D Dawson Davidson getting two. . . . Steel leads the WHL with 80 points, four more than Brooks. . . . Medicine Hat started with Nick Schneider in goal, but he left after giving up three goals on 13 shots in 22:36. Michael Bullion came on to get the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots. . . . The Pats got 25 saves from G Max Paddock, who lost for the first time in four decisions. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-4. . . . These two teams have combined for 34 goals in three games — the Pats won 8-5 and 6-2 in Medicine Hat. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Saskatoon, F Josh Paterson’s shootout goal gave the Blades a 3-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat
LOGAN FLODELL
Kings. . . . F Reid Duke scored for Brandon the first round of the skills competition, with F Jesse Shynkaruk tying it in the third round. Paterson scored in the fifth round. . . . The Blades got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Braylon Shmyr (25), at 7:32 of the first period, and F Caleb Fantillo (4), at 14:31 of the second. . . . F Stelio Mattheos scored his 16th goal, on a PP, at 4:08 of the third period to get Brandon to within one. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it with G Logan Thompson on the bench for the extra attacker as F Tanner Kaspick scored his 15th goal, at 18:57. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick missed a couple of shifts in the first period after taking an unpenalized hit from Saskatoon D Mark Rubinchik. Patrick drew an assist on each Brandon goal. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 32 shots for the Blades. . . . Thompson made 32 saves for the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon was 1-5 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-2. . . . The Blades (19-22-6) have won four in a row and are in possession of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot, five points behind Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings (22-17-5) had won their previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 3,126.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Parker AuCoin had two goals and two assists to help the Tri-City Americans to a 7-4 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . Tri-City led 4-0 at the game’s halfway mark. . . . AuCoin scored 41
PARKER AuCOIN
seconds into the first period to get it started. D Juuso Valimaki (13) made it 2-0 at 12:08. . . . F Brett Leason’s second goal of the season ran the lead to 3-0 at 3:35 of the second period and F Kyle Olson (11) upped it to 4-0 at 9:55. . . . Kootenay got on the scoreboard when F Brett Davis (10) counted at 14:30. . . . Tri-City answered that with two more goals, from F Nolan Yaremko (5) at 15:46 and F Morgan Geekie (26) at 18:59. . . . The Ice made a game of it by scoring the next three goals. . . . F Reed Morison (1) scored at 19:25 of the second period, with F Austin Wellsby scoring the next two, at 1:21 and 10:06. He’s got six goals. . . . AuCoin added insurance with his 17th at 15:38. . . . Yaremko and D Parker Wotherspoon each had two assists, with Olson, Geekie and Leason adding one apiece. . . . F Jake Elmer and D Dallas Hines each had two assists for the Ice. . . . Wotherspoon now has 130 career assists, moving him into second place on the Americans’ career list among defenceman. He passed Darrell Hay (128) on Friday night and now trails only Tyler Schmidt, who recorded 132 over five seasons (2006-11). . . . Tri-City G Evan Sarthou blocked 25 shots. . . . Ice starter Payton Lee gave up four goals on 12 shots in 29:55. Jakob Walter came on in relief and stopped 10 of 13 shots in 30:05. . . . The Ice was 1-1 on the PP; the Americans were 0-2. . . . The game featured a brother act — F Peyton Krebs of the Ice and D Dakota Krebs of the Americans — and both were in the starting lineups. Their sister, Maddison, a country music artist, also was in the house and handled both anthems. . . . The Krebs family is from Okotoks, Alta. . . . The Americans (29-17-3) have won seven in a row and are second in the U.S. Division. This was the Americans’ first home game since they completed a 6-0-0 run through the East Division. . . . The Ice is 11-28-8. . . . Announced attendance: 3,543.
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At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning broke a 4-4 tie at 16:35 of the third period as the Vancouver Giants beat the Kelowna Rockets, 5-4. . . . Ronning’s 19th goal of the season was his second of the game. . . . The
JAMES MALM
Giants held 2-0 and 4-1 leads. . . . First-period goals from F Tristyn DeRoose (1), at 9:23, and F Brayden Watts (6), on a PP, at 16:22, provided the 2-0 lead. . . . Kelowna F Calvin Thurkauf cut it to 2-1 at 18:36. . . . The Giants went up 4-2 on second-period goals from F James Malm (15), at 4:17, and Ronning, at 10:18. . . . The Malm goal actually was an own-goal scored by Kelowna F Carsen Twarynski, who hit the vacated net with a pass intended for a point man who wasn’t there while there was a delayed penalty being signalled against the Giants. . . . The Rockets then got goals from D Cal Foote (5), shorthanded, at 12:28 of the second and F Kyle Topping (9), just 1:05 later, to get to within one. . . . The Rockets tied it when F Rod Southam scored his 10th goal, on a PP, at 7:15 of the third period. . . . Malm added three assists to his goal, with Watts getting one. . . . Malm, a 17-year-old from Langley, had two assists in 25 games last season. This season, he’s got 15 goals and 22 assists in 43 games. . . . Foote had an assist for Kelowna. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 32 shots to earn the victory over Brodan Salmond, who blocked 20. . . . Kelowna was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-6. . . . The Giants had F Dawson Holt (shoulder) and F Johnny Wesley (shoulder) back in their lineup after 13-game absences, but still are missing D Darian Skeoch and F Tyler Benson. Skeoch missed his 16th game; Benson missed his eighth straight game. . . . F Dillon Dube and F Reid Gardiner were among Kelowna’s scratches. . . . Vancouver (17-26-3) had lost its previous six games and is 10 points out of a playoff spot. . . . Kelowna (26-17-4) has lost three in a row (0-2-1) and is third in the B.C. Division, three points behind the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Announced attendance: 4,366.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Medicine Hat at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Prince Albert at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Prince George at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Calgary at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m. (Teddy Bear Game)
Kootenay at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:26 AM
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