F Martin Filo (Moose Jaw, 2007-09) has been released by Unia Oświęcim (Poland, Ekstraliga) by mutual agreement. He had yet to play this season. Last season, with Königsborner JEC Unna (Germany, Oberliga), he had 17 goals and 20 assists in 28 games.
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The Kamloops Blazers, with room on their roster for a third 20-year-old, have added F Logan McVeigh, who had been
with the Regina Pats. . . . In getting down to three 20s, the Pats placed McVeigh on waivers and the Blazers claimed him. . . . McVeigh, from Kenaston, Sask., was a second-round pick by the Blazers in the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft. In 267 career games, he has 116 points, including 45 goals. . . . He also has played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . McVeigh’s arrival means the Blazers are carrying 25 players, including eight defencemen and 15 forwards. . . . He joins D Brady Gaudet and F Mike Winther, both also trade acquisitions, as the Blazers’ 20-year-olds. . . . McVeigh was in the lineup Friday night as the Blazers dropped a 3-0 decision to the Giants in Vancouver.---
F Andrew Johnson, 20, has joined the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors. Johnson, from Saskatoon, was dropped by the Swift Current Broncos as they got down to the 20-year-old limit of three on Wednesday. In 263 regular-season WHL games split between the Moose Jaw Warriors, Seattle Thunderbirds and Swift Current, he has 102 points, 44 of them goals.---
"Where are all the people who insisted that they would not attend another Regina Pats game until Russ Parker sold the WHL team?" writes Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. "The Pats, who are now owned by a group led by Anthony Marquart, have routinely played before sub-4,000 crowds." . . . After five home games, the Pats are averaging 3,716 fans.
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I have to admit to being more than a little surprised to find out about the work the Vancouver Canucks have been doing to grow the game of hockey in China. With support from the Canucks, Aaron Wilbur, the managing director of the Coaches Site, and Michael Butler, program co-ordinator for BC Hockey, took part in hockey shools in Shenzhen and Shangai, Aug. 10-19. Wilbur, in fact, has been travelling to China and spreading the word for three years now. . . . For more, including photos and video, check this out right here.---
The Swift Current Broncos have scheduled an interesting game for Nov. 15. It’s be the Bronco alumni against the Calgary Flames Alumni, with faceoff set for 2 p.m.
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In Brandon, the Wheat Kings broke a 3-3 tie with five goals in the last nine minutes of the third period and beat the Swift Current Broncos, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . D Ivan Provorov, a 17-year-old freshman from Yaroslavl, Russia, had two goals and an assist for the Wheat Kings. He's got 11 points, four of them goals, in his first 10 games. . . . F Duncan Campbell, who is from Brandon, scored twice for the Wheat Kings, giving him three goals in his first season. . . . The Broncos were without F Jay Merkley (undisclosed injury), who has seven goals to date. . . .
In Moose Jaw, F Nic Petan drew three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 6-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . It was Portland's first game of a six-game East Division tour. . . . Petan was in the lineup after leaving Portland's previous game early, after a hit from Seattle D Evan Wardley that drew a seven-game suspension. Earlier Friday, Petan was named the Winterhawks' captain. . . . F Dominic Turgeon and F Oliver Bjorkstand each had two goals for Portland. Bjorkstrand, in his third season, has 181 points, including 87 goals, in 140 career regular-season games. . . . G Bolton Pouliot, picked up from Kamloops on Thursday, was on the Portland bench, backing up Brendan Burke. . . . Moose Jaw had been 5-0-1 in its last six games. . . . Warriors F Noah Gregor took a hit from Portland F Keegan Iverson early in the first period and left the game. He already has been ruled out of tonight's game in Swift Current. . . . D Blake Heinrich made his debut with the Winterhawks. He had been sidelined with a concussion. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Edmonton Oil Kings scored twice in the game's first 4:08 and went on to a 3-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . F Edgars Kulda scored twice for Edmonton, getting the winner at 4:08 of the first and adding an empty-netter late in the third. . . . Edmonton has won three straight games. . . . Kulda has scored in each of the three victories. . . . The Raiders had F Tim Vanstone in the lineup after he had missed the first eight games with an undisclosed injury. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Axel Blomqvist came back to bite his former team as he scored twice to help the Victoria Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . Blomqvist, a 19-year-old Swede, was dealt to Victoria by Lethbridge last season. The Hurricanes acquired fourth- and eighth-round picks in the 2014 bantam draft in the deal. . . . Blomqvist, who has signed with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, has three goals in six games. He sat out a few games with a suspected concussion. . . . The Royals broke a 2-2 tie with goals from F Tyler Soy and Blomqvist just 37 seconds apart early in the third. . . . Victoria D Joe Hicketts had two assists. He has 13 points in 10 games, after putting up 24 in 36 games in an injury-shortened sophomore season. He had 24 points in 67 games as a freshman. . . . The Hurricanes, now 1-7-1, have lost five straight. . . . The Royals had fallen behind 2-0 in each of the first four games of this six-game road trip that ends tonight against the Kootenay Ice. They were able to come back and win two of those games. . . . In this one, Victoria scored the game’s first two goals, then the Hurricanes came back to tie it. . . . Victoria F Austin Carroll had his eight-game goal streak snapped. . . . This was the Royals’ 12th game, meaning F Brandon Magee has served the 12-game suspension left over from a playoff game last season. . . .
In Cranbrook, G Wyatt Hoflin stopped 34 shots as the Kootenay Ice beat the Regina Pats, 1-0. . . . The shutout was the first of Hoflin's career. . . . D Troy Murray scored the game's only goal, on a PP 33 seconds into the second period. Murray, the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets D Ryan Murray, is from White City, Sask., just a stone's throw east of Regina. The goal was the first of the sophomore's WHL career and came in his 73rd regular-season game. . . . Regina had a 34-16 edge in shots. . . . Kootenay F Jon Martin returned after missing three games with an undisclosed injury, but F Tim Bozon didn‘t make his return due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Ice played with 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman reported: "The Ice also went without defencemen Bryan Allbee and Dylan Overdyk, as well as forward Jared Legien. The trio missed Friday's game . . . due to team-imposed suspensions after violating team rules at Mount Baker High School earlier this week." . . . Rocca's game story is right here.
In Saskatoon, the Blades broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Blades have won three in a row, after opening the season with six straight losses. . . . F Alex Forsberg and F Sam McKechnie each had a goal and an assist for Saskatoon. . . . Forsberg's goal was a shorthanded marker and ended up as the winner. . . . Saskatoon F Nick Zajac left in the third period with an undisclosed injury -- he took a check from Red Deer F Evan Polei -- and is doubtful for tonight's game against visiting Edmonton. . . . After the game, Brent Sutter, Red Deer’s GM and head coach, told the Red Deer Advocate: “Jeff (Rebels associate coach Truitt) said it best: ‘Right now we have a bunch of guys you’d like to take fishing, but they’re not going to battle like they need to.’ ” . . .
In Medicine Hat, F Adam Tambellini scored at 3:08 of OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . It was Tambellini's sixth goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat had a 40-21 edge in shots. . . . Tigers F Chad Butcher scored his eighth goal, forging a 1-1 tie at 9:58 of the third. . . . F Greg Chase had two assists for Calgary. . . . These same teams will meet tonight in Calgary. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the visiting Prince George Cougars ran their winning streak to four with a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Cougars G Ty Edmonds stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout bid when F Keegan Kolesar scored with less than one second remaining in the third period. . . . F Jansen Harkins had a goal, his third, and an assist for the Cougars, who got another goal from F Jari Erricson, his eighth. . . . Erricson, 20, missed all but three of last season’s games with a concussion. . . . F Jared Bethune was in the Cougars's lineup for the first time. Bethune, 17, left the USHL's Lincoln Stars to join the Cougars. According to Ted Clarke of the Prince George Citizen, Bethune “decided to make the jump to the WHL when he learned the Stars were about to trade him.” . . . Bethune drew an assist on the Cougars' second goal for his first WHL point. . . . The matchup between Seattle F Matt Barzal and Harkins drew 16 NHL scouts. . . .
In Spokane, the Kelowna Rockets ran their record to 10-0-0 with a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . G Jake Morrissey stopped 26 shots to pick up his first career victory. He‘s the younger brother of Prince Albert D Josh Morrissey. . . . The Rockets erased a 1-0 deficit with three straight goals. . . . D Riley Stadel gave Kelowna a 2-1 lead with his sixth goal, on the PP, 32 seconds into the second period, and D Madison Bowey made it 3-2 just 59 seconds later. . . . The Rockets lost F Dillon Dube with an undisclosed injury. He may not play tonight against the host Tri-City Americans. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., the host Tri-City Americans scored two shootout goals and beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-4. . . . D Parker Wotherspoon and F Vladislav Lukin had the Americans' shootout goals, negating one by Everett F Ivan Nikolishin. . . . The Silvertips have lost twice in OT and once in a shootout but have yet to lose in regulation time (5-0-3). . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald scored on his 19th birthday. He has three goals in seven games after scoring twice in 63 outings last season and twice in 60 games as a freshman in 2012-13. . . . The Americans will be at home to the unbeaten Kelowna Rockets tonight. . . . Tri-City head coach Mike Williamson will work his 900th WHL game tonight. Williamson, 41, also has been head coach in Portland and Calgary. . . . Told that it would be No. 900, he told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald: “I didn’t know that. It just makes me feel old. For anyone, it’s a great league to be associated with. It’s a privilege. I’m just excited to still be able to go out and work with these players.” . . . According to Fowler, Williamson’s record is 433-378-36-20, with 31 ties. . . .
In Vancouver, G Payton Lee stopped 23 shots to help the Giants to a 3-0 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . It was Lee's first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The game marked the return to Vancouver of former head coach Don Hay. He spent 10 seasons with the Giants before leaving over the summer for Kamloops, where he again is head coach of the Blazers. . . . Vancouver D Dmitry Osipov scored the game's first goal, his first of the season, on a second-period PP. . . . F Tyler Benson got his third goal of the season on a third-period PP. . . . Former Prince George Cougars Brett Connolly, now with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was in the house. His brother, Josh, is a defenceman with the Blazers. The Lightning meets the Canucks in Vancouver tonight.
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"A" for effort
"D" for spelling
"A+ for Freudian slip
#WHL #winnerhawks pic.twitter.com/O0Z2W1jbwu
— CellPhones&PlaneTix (@hawkeyblog) October 17, 2014
Tim Speltz, the Chiefs' general manager, appeared on CBS Sports 1510 KGA, which carries the WHL team's games, on Tuesday night to apologize to fans for the actions of some players during the anthem prior to Friday's game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. 
The Seattle Thunderbirds will be without D Evan Wardley for seven games after he was suspended by the WHL on Tuesday. Wardley was disciplined for a headshot major and game misconduct he took for a hit on F Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday night. . . . According to the WHL's reasoning, "The hit resulted in an injury to opponent. . . . The player is a repeat offender." . . . Wardley will be eligible to return on Nov. 1 against the visiting Vancouver Giants. He sat out his first game last night against the visiting Spokane Chiefs and won't play tonight in Spokane. He also will miss a three-game homestand (Prince George, Kamloops, Spokane), a game in Everett and a visit by the Edmonton Oil Kings). . . . Interestingly, Wardley won't miss any games against Portland. . . . Petan was on Portland's bus on Tuesday when it left the Oregon city and headed for Moose Jaw where the Winterhawks open an East Division tour against the Warriors on Friday. 
The Swift Current Broncos have claimed F Kristian Ferletak, 18, off waivers from the Victoria Royals. Ferletak, a freshman from Slovakia, was dropped by the Royals after they claimed D Marsel Ibragimov, a 17-year-old Russian freshman who had been placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Edmonton released Ibragimov in order to keep veteran forwards Mads Eller and Edgars Kulda. . . . The Broncos were carrying just one import player, that being Swedish F Andreas Schumacher, 18. . . . Swift Current had been hoping to get D Julius Honka, 18, back from the NHL's Dallas Stars. However, Honka, who was selected by the Stars in the first round of the NHL's 2014 draft, was assigned to the AHL's Texas Stars. Honka was eligible for the AHL because his rights had been loaned to the Broncos by his Finnish club team; most import players are released to junior teams. . . . Ferletak may get into action with the Broncos as soon as tonight. They are at home to the Saskatoon Blades and have two forwards on the shelf -- Jay Merkley (ill) and Cole Johnson (undisclosed injury). 
The Regina Pats got down to three 20-year-olds on Tuesday by waiving F Logan McVeigh. That leaves Regina with F Braden Christoffer, F Patrick D'Amico and F Pavel Padakin as its three 1994-born players. . . . McVeigh was pointless in two games with the Pats, although a knee injury kept him from playing since the season's second game. . . . The Pats had acquired McVeigh,who is from Kenaston, Sask., last season from the Medicine Hat Tigers. He had four goals and five assists in 26 games with the Pats. In 267 career regular-season games, McVeigh has 116 points, including 45 goals. McVeigh was a second-round pick by the Kamloops Blazes in the 2009 bantam draft. He also played with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Regina now is carrying 24 players, including three goaltenders and 15 forwards. 
F Brandon Vuic of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads is facing an impaired driving charge from an incident that occurred on Oct. 7. As well, the Halifax Chronicle Herald is reporting that Vuic, 19, is beig "investigated for alleged drug possession in connection with the same incident." That story is 
In Moose Jaw, the Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 6-4 victory over the Warriors. . . . Calgary F Pavel Padakin had two goals and an assist, while F Jake Virtanen scored twice. Padakin has 24 goals; Virtanen has 38. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart ran his point streak to 11 games with three assists. . . . With the victory, the Hitmen clinched a playoff spot for the 16th time in their 19-year history. . . . D Jaynen Rissling, Calgary’s captain, was back after serving a two-game suspension. . . . F Colton McCarthy scored twice for Moose Jaw, giving him four, while F Brayden Point got his 27th goal and added two assists. . . . Ice G Mack Shields started his sixth straight game -- he‘s 6-0-0. G Chris Driedger, who missed three games with a team-issued suspension, was on the bench for a second straight game. He hasn’t played since beat the Giants 5-0 in Vancouver on Feb. 7. . . . The Hitmen (40-15-6) are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings have the tiebreaker with more victories (42-40) and have three games in hand. . . . The Warriors (15-35-9) have lost three in a row. . . .
In Brandon, the Victoria Royals scored four first-period goals and went on to beat the Wheat Kings, 5-3. . . . The Royals have won seven straight games now; they also have won nine straight on the road, including the first three stops on this five-game East Division swing. On top of that, they have at least a point in 14 straight games. . . . The Wheat Kings have lost seven in a row. . . . Brandon D Ryan Pulock opened the scoring with his 18th goal at 4:42 of the first. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson got his 20th 16 seconds later and F Tyler Soy, with his 12th, gave the Royals their first lead at 8:50. . . . F Steven Hodges, with his 19th, and F Austin Carroll, with his 31st, added Victoria goals before the period ended. . . . Hodges also had two assists, while D Brett Cote had two helpers, too. . . . The Royals held a 49-26 edge in shots. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka went the distance in his second straight start after not playing since Jan. 31. . . . The Wheat Kings dressed only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Brandon was without D Colten Waltz, who is sitting out a suspension. . . . Brandon also was without the Quenneville brothers, Paul and John, and F Jayce Hawryluk, all with injuries. D Rene Hunter and F Rihards Bukarts were back, though. . . . Victoria, 24-3-3 since Dec. 12, is third in the Western Conference, three points behind the Portland Winterhawks, who almost certainly will be the second seed because they are comfortably atop the U.S. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings (28-25-8) are seventh in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Swift Current Broncos. . . . 
In Saskatoon, F Logan McVeigh broke a 2-2 tie at 16:41 of the third period as the Regina Pats beat the Blades, 4-2. . . . McVeigh has 10 goals this season. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk scored the game’s first two goals as the Pats grabbed the lead early in the second period. . . . The Blades tied it early in the third on goals by D Ayrton Nikkel, his fifth, and F Chase Clayton, his 10th. . . . Klimchuk completed his hat trick, getting his 23rd goal into an empty net at 19:55 of the third period. . . . Prior to the game, the Blades honoured Les Lazaruk, their longtime radio voice, for having worked his 1,500th game on the weekend. . . . The Blades, who were the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup, were eliminated from the playoff race; this will be the first time since 2008 that they aren’t in the postseason. After the game, WHL Facts (@WHLFacts)t weeted: “2 - This will be the 2nd straight season that a Memorial Cup host missed the playoffs the following season (Shawinigan).” . . . Regina went 8-0-0 against Saskatoon this season. . . . The Pats (32-22-6) are 5-0-1 in their last six and lead the East Division by four ponts over Swift Current. . . . The Blades (16-40-5) are 11th in the Eastern Conference. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart had a goal and three assists to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Reinhart ran his point streak to 18 games. . . . F Curtis Valk of the Tigers had his point streak snapped at 18 games. . . . Reinhart has 32 goals. He also has 88 points in 48 games, three more than he totalled in 72 games last season. . . . In Reinhart’s 18-game tear, he has a five-point game, a four-point outing and seven three-pointers. He has multiple points in 12 of those games. He has 26 points in nine February games. . . . The Ice ended this game with two empty-netters, one from Reinhart and the other from Tim Bozon, who got his 29th. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau had a goal, his 38th, and two assists. . . . The Tigers led this one 2-1 with five minutes left in the third period. . . . Ice F Luke Philp tied it, getting his 26th goal at 15:51. Descheneau broke the tie at 17:37. . . . Ice G Mackenzie Skapski stopped 40 shots. . . . The Ice (34-22-4) has won three in a row; it’s fifth in the conference, three points behind Medicine Hat (36-21-3). Each team has 12 games remaining. . . .
In Lethbridge, F Jackson Houck drew three assists to help the Vancouver Giants to a 5-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The Giants opened a three-game Alberta swing by getting goals from five players. . . . Vancouver F Cain Franson scored his 25th goal and added an assist, while F Dominik Volek had two assists. . . . The Giants outshot the Hurricanes, 48-29. . . . Vancouver (29-23-10) is sixth in the Western Conference, five points behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Hurricanes (12-45-5) have the WHL’s poorest record. They have lost four straight. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Edmonton Oil Kings unleased a 54-shot attack as they beat the Rebels 4-1. . . . Edmonton F Curtis Lazar scored his 33rd goal, while F Henrik Samuellson notched No. 29. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was back on the ice after missing three games with the flu. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 14 shots. . . . The Oil Kings (42-14-2) are tied with Calgary atop the Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Edmonton owns the tiebreaker by virtue of more victories (42-40). . . . Red Deer (28-29-4) is tied with the Prince Albert Raiders for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Rebels, 1-8-1 in their last 10, have lost three in a row. . . .
In Kelowna, the Rockets scored three first-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets outshot the visitors 51-16, including 20-5 and 19-5 in each of the first periods. . . . Kelowna F Myles Bell scored his 39th goal. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke lost his shutout bid when Tri-City F Rodney Southam scored his third goal at 18:42 of the third period. . . . Kelowna (47-8-4) leads the overall standings by seven points over Portland. . . . The Americans (27-27-6) are eighth in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. Tri-City holds three games in hand. . . .
In Spokane, F Shane Danyluk scored two second-period goals to spark the Prince Albert Raiders to a 4-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Danyluk, who turned 20 on Jan. 19, is from Salmon Arm, B.C. He was playing in his 236th regular-season game and has 23 goals. This was his third career two-goal game. . . . Raiders G Cole Cheveldave stopped 36 shots. . . . D Dakota Conroy also had two goals for the visitors, his second, No. 24 this season, into an empty net at 17:29 of the third. . . . Raiders F Chance Braid had two assists. . . . The Raiders (28-28-4) moved into a tie with Red Deer for the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Chiefs (34-21-5) are a comfortable fifth in the Western Conference.
Portland also gets an undisclosed conditional 2014 bantam draft pick in the deal, while the Rebels acquired F Presten Kopeck and undisclosed conditional draft picks in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
played on Nov. 23. In fact, he played just four games in November.
The BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies fired general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick on Tuesday. According to a release from the team: “The new ownership group, which took over operations (Monday) has decided it was important to move in a different direction immediately.” . . . Craig Didmon, who had been Bestwick’s assistant, ran the bench during last night’s 4-2 victory over the visiting Nanaimo Clippers. . . . Under Bestwick this season, the Grizzlies were 19-8-3-2, which left them second in the Island Division, five points behind the first-place Powell River Kings. . . . In his time with the Grizzlies, Bestwick was 52-21-3-12. . . . Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times Colonist has more 
In Brandon, F Rihards Bukarts broke a 2-2 tie with his first of two goals at 6:58 of the second period and the Wheat Kings went on to a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . It was the Latvian’s first two-goal game. . . . Brandon has won its last two games and is 8-3-2 in its last 13 outings. . . . It was the 13th straight loss for Kamloops, and that’s a franchise record. The 1981-82 Kamloops Junior Oilers had a stretch of 12 consecutive losses. . . . Bukarts’ first goal, his 10th of the season, came just 49 seconds after Kamloops F Eric Krienke pulled his side into a 2-2 tie. . . . F Chad Robinson and F Jens Meilleur each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk, a freshman from Saskatoon, had the Blazers’ other goal, the first of his career. . . . Kamloops gave G Cole Kehler, who turns 16 on Dec. 17, his first career start; he stopped 26 shots. . . . The Blazers lost C Matt Needham, their captain, when he took a puck to one ear in the first period. It’s not known whether he will be in the lineup tonight against the Pats in Regina. . . .
In Swift Current, the Kelowna Rockets won for the 16th time in 17 games as they doubled the Broncos, 4-2. . . . Kelowna F Ryan Olsen broke a 2-2 tie with his 12th goal, on the PP, at 18:52 of the third period. . . . The Rockets have won seven in a row. . . . D Damon Severson had two assists for Kelowna, which trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 late in the third. . . . F Zach Franko, with his seventh, pulled the Rockets even at 16:42 of the third. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 24 shots as he ran his record to 17-1-2. . . . His other numbers are 2.11 and .927. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 40 shots. . . . Kelowna (23-3-2) is tied with Portland (22-6-4) for top spot in the overall standings. The Rockets have four games in hand. . . .
In Saskatoon, the Edmonton Oil Kings held a 49-20 edge in shots as they beat the Blades, 3-1. . . . F Cole Benson’s second goal of the season, shorthanded at 9:57 of the second, broke a 1-1 tie. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson added insurance with another shortie, at 19:31 of the second. . . . Saskatoon’s PP is 0-for-16 over four games. . . . The Blades have lost seven in a row and 12 of 13. . . . Saskatoon G Troy Trombley turned aside 46 shots. . . . Edmonton D Aaron Irving had two assists. A freshman from Edmonton who was pointless in five games last season, Irving has 22 points, including 16 assists, in 30 games this season. . . . The Oil Kings have won six in a row and 15 of 18. . . .
In Medicine Hat, F Logan McVeigh scored 27 seconds into OT to give the Tigers a 1-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . It was McVeigh’s sixth goal of the season. . . . Medicine Hat G Daniel Wapple stopped 39 shots, while Calgary’s Chris Driedger turned aside 33. . . . Wapple has one shutout this season and two in his career. . . . Calgary has points in six straight games and is 8-1-1 in its last 10. . . . The Tigers had F Blake Penner back in their lineup. He hadn’t played since Oct. 30. . . . Medicine Hat didn’t dress three players who are preparing to play in the World Junior Championship — F Markus Eisenschmid (Germany), G Marek Langhamer (Czech Republic) and F Hunter Shinkaruk (Canada). . . .
In Prince George, D Jagger Dirk’s fourth goal of the season broke a 1-1 tie at 4:12 of the third period and the Kootenay Ice went on to a 3-1 victory over the Cougars. . . . Ice G MacKenzie Skapski finished with a career-high 51 saves, 22 more than Prince George’s Ty Edmonds. . . . F Jordan Tkatch, with his seventh, gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 13:22 of the second. . . . Ice F Jaedon Descheneau tied it, with his 22nd, at 17:34 of the second. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon added insurance with his 10th at 15:59 of the third. . . . Attendance was 1,410 and, according to Jeff Hollick, the radio voice of the Ice, it was the smallest road crowd ever for a Kootenay game. . . . The Ice dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. F Sam Reinhardt, who will attend the Canadian national junior team camp later this week, was one of Kootenay’s scratches. . . . Kootenay did get back F Kyle O’Connor, who hadn’t played since Nov. 11. . . .
In Vancouver, the Giants scored the game’s first two goals, both in the first period, and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . It was the third straight meeting between the teams, with the Giants winning the last two. . . . The Giants are tied for seventh in the Western Conference with the Tri-City Americans, one point behind the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Vancouver held a 2-0 first-period lead after outshooting the Royals, 22-1. Through two periods, shots were 31-7. . . . Victoria held a 9-2 edge in the third period. . . . Vancouver F Travis McEvoy gave his side a 3-1 lead with his sixth goal at 4:47 of the second. . . . Victoria got both of its goals from F Ben Walker, who has 12 goals. He scored once on the PP and once while shorthanded. . . . The Royals are fifth in the conference, a point behind the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Among Victoria’s scratches were F Logan Nelson (undisclosed injury) and F Steven Hodges (personal). . . . Vancouver D Mason Geertsen was hit with a headshot major for a game-ending hit on Victoria F Austin Carroll. In the resulting gathering, Victoria F Brandon Magee was given a match penalty for spearing. . . . 
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mathew Barzal broke a 1-1 tie at 2:50 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Tri-City Americans, 3-1. . . . Seattle has won seven in a row and now is fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . The Americans slipped to eighth in the conference. . . . Barzal, who also had an assist, has six goals. . . . Seattle F Roberts Lipsbergs opened the scoring with his 20th goal at 5:12 of the second. He later added an empty-netter. . . . Tri-City F Lucas Nickles tied it with his eighth at 17:24 of the second. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh stopped 22 shots, while Tri-City’s Eric Comrie turned aside 29. 
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