Oil Kings back on winning path; Terriers win big in Vernon

Elliotte Friedman of HNIC posted the latest edition of 30 Thoughts on Sunday. It always is really readable, so click right here for lots on the implosion of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post continues his look at the new owners of the Regina Pats as he profiles the Semples, Gavin and Shaun, right here.
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At the RBC Cup in Vernon, B.C., F Derek Falloon scored his second OT goal of the tournament to give the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers a 4-3 victory over the CCHL’s Carleton Place Canadians in the championship game. . . . The Canadians took a 3-1 lead into the third period and still had a two-goal lead with fewer than three minutes to play. . . . However, Tanner Lischynsky and Dylan Johnston sacored eight seconds apart (17:12 and 17:20) to force OT. . . . Falloon won it at 15:01 of the first extra period. It was his second OT goal of the tournament. . . . Yorkton held a 46-35 edge in shots, including 10-4 in OT. . . . This is Yorkton’s first RBC Cup championship. . . . After the final, RBC Cup (@HC_RBCCup) tweeted: “In 1999, the @VernonVipers won the #RBCCup in #Yorkton. In 2014, the @Terriers_SJHL win the #RBCCup in #Vernon.”
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After Sunday’s game, Los Angeles Kings F Jarret Stoll (@jarretstoll), who once again bought the Terriers their pregame meal, tweeted: “@Terriers_SJHL unbelievable win tonight and season. Pretty nice winning your last game of the year! So proud boys!! #RBC”
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MEMORIAL CUP
(at London, Ont., all times Eastern)
(all games televised by Sportsnet)
Friday: Val-d’Or 1, London 0 (8,863)
Saturday: Guelph 5, Edmonton 2 (8,842)
Sunday: Edmonton 5, London 2 (8,863)
Monday: Guelph vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Tuesday: Edmonton vs. Val-d’Or, 7 p.m.
Wednesday: London vs. Guelph, 7 p.m.
Thursday: Tiebreaker, if necessary, 7 p.m.
Friday: Semifinal, 7 p.m.
Saturday: No game scheduled.
Sunday: Final, TBD.
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SUNDAY’S GAME:
The WHL-champion Edmonton Oil Kings got two goals from each of F Edgars Kulda and F Luke Bertolucci as they dropped the host London Knights, 5-2. . . . The Oil Kings, who lost 5-2 to the OHL-champion Guelph Storm on Saturday, are 1-1. . . . The Knights, 1-0 losers to the QMJHL-champion Val-d’Or Foreurs on Friday, are 0-2 and in a deep hole. . . .  The Oil Kings overcame a balky PP to win this one, as they got progressively better 5-on-5 as the game wore on. . . . F Reid Petryk got Edmonton on the board at 9:42 of the first period, beating London G Anthony Stolarz high to the glove side while cutting across the high slot. . . . That goal came 23 seconds after Edmonton was ineffective on two PP opportunities, one of which was 5-on-3. . . . With Edmonton up 1-0, London F Ryan Rupert was awarded a penalty shot, but Oil Kings G Tristan Jarry, who was at his coolest in this one, closed the five-hole and stone him. . . . Rupert drilled a cross-bar three minutes into the second period, and 3:05 later Kulda cut across the slot and beat Stolarz high to the blocker side. . . . London D Alex Basso got his guys on the board with a shot off the left boards that bounced off Jarry’s glove and in at 16:14. . . . Before the crowd of 8,863 could really get into it, though, Kulda, positioned behind the goal line, bounced one off Stolarz and in for a 3-1 lead going into the third. . . . Bertolucci scored twice in the final period, with F Dakota Mermis scoring off a rebound for the Knights. . . . Jarry finished with 38 saves. . . . Stolarz stopped 27 shots over two periods, before Jake Patterson came on to stop 11 of 13 shots in the third. . . . Kulda and Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart were the two best players in this one. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-8 on the PP; London was 0-for-4. . . . Bertolucci’s second goal, at 18:23 of the third, came via the PP. Edmonton is 1-for-13 with the man advantage in its two games. . . . Guelph plays Val-d’Or tonight -- both teams are 1-0 -- with the Foreurs meeting the Oil Kings on Tuesday. London doesn’t play again until Wednesday when it meets Guelph. The Knights, playing in their third straight Memorial Cup tournament, have to win that game or it’s all over for them. . . . If Guelph wins tonight, the Storm will have qualified for Sunday’s championship game. . . . Not only did the Oil Kings win yesterday, and clinch at least a tiebreaker in the process, but WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) reported that they are the first CHL team to reach 25,000 followers on Twitter. . . . Neate Sager of Yahoo! Canada Sports has a good piece right here that pretty much sums up London’s frustrations.
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From Neate Sager (@neatebuzzthenet) of Yahoo! Canada Sports: “Like Monty Python's parrot, the London Knights aren't dead. They're just resting. #MCMemorialCup”
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From Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post: “Saskatchewan is 3-for-3 in national hockey championships. Yorkton (junior A), P.A. (boys midget AAA) and Weyburn (girls midget AAA).”

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The Calgary Hitmen have released F Brendan Hurley, 19, apparently at his request. Hurley, from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., had 12 points in 31 games after joining the Hitmen from the MJHL’s Dauphin Kings in October.
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The Spokane Chiefs will be gunning for the franchise’s 1,000th victory when they meet the Blazers in Kamloops on Friday. . . . The Chiefs entered the WHL with a 6-3 loss to the host Blazers on Oct. 4, 1985. The Chiefs actually led that one 3-0 at 5:24 of the first period. . . . The Chiefs will play the 2,000th game in franchise history on Feb. 10 when the Victoria Royals pay a visit.
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Former WHL D Mike McBain (Red Deer, 1993-97) has been sentenced to four to 15 years in prison on Wednesday in Las Vegas for sexually assaulting a girl over a four-year period. . . . There’s more right here.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, the Oil Kings scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . The fourth annual Hockey Hooky game -- it began at 11:30 a.m. -- drew 9,975 fans. . . . Edmonton F Luke Bertolucci scored his second goal and added an assist. A 17-year-old from Montrose, B.C., he has five points in 32 games. . . . F Sam Reinhart scored his 26th goal for the Ice. . . . Kootenay G Wyatt Hoflin, who turns 18 today, stopped 39 shots. . . .

In Brandon, the Saskatoon Blades scored the game’s last four goals and beat the Wheat Kings, 5-1. . . . Saskatoon F Michael Ferland, who was acquired from Brandon at the trade deadline, broke a 1-1 tie at 2:10 of the second period. It was Ferland’s third goal of the season. . . .

In Regina, F Jordan Messier was the only one of eight circus shooters to score as the Moose Jaw Warriors beat the Pats, 3-2. . . . The Warriors scored twice in the first period; the Pats got two in the second. . . . Regina D Stephen Hak tied it with his second goal in 36 games at 18:43 of the second. . . . The Pats now have lost eight in a row. . . .

In Vancouver, the Giants unloaded a 57-shot barrage as they dumped the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-1. . . . F Jackson Houck scored twice for Vancouver, giving him 17, while F Brendan Rouse had a goal, his ninth, and two assists. . . . Vancouver D Arvin Atwal scored his first WHL goal and also earned his first assist. They came in his 16th game, 11 of which he has played this season. He also was plus-3. . . . Vancouver G Jared Rathjen stopped 22 shots, losing his shutout when F Mark McNeill scored his 20th goal, via the PP, at 6:08 of the third. . . . Raiders G Luke Siemens went the distance, stopping 52 shots. . . .

In Swift Current, F Ryon Moser scored at 19:59 of the third period – there was 0.8 left on the clock – to gave the Broncos a 5-4 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Adam Lowry led the Broncos with his 33rd goal and three assists. . . . Moser has 15 goals this season. . . . Broncos F Levi Bews, who hadn’t played since Dec. 30 because of a leg injury, scored his 15th goal in 39 games. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart scored his 20th and 21st goals to give the Hitmen a 3-2 lead early in the second. . . . Lowry tied it at 12:30 of the second and D Richard Nedomlel gave the home side a 4-3 lead at 2:33 of the third. . . . Calgary D Alex Roach, with his second of the night and 13th of the season, put his side out front at 4:23. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., Tri-City F Justin Feser had three assists as he played in his 300th consecutive regular-season game and the Americans beat the Prince George Cougars, 5-2. . . . Feser is riding the second-longest such streak in WHL history. The record (311) is held by D Dwayne Newman (Brandon, Victoria, 1987-92). . . . Feser drew assists on each of his club’s first three goals. . . . Tri-City G Luke Lee-Knight stopped 42 shots. . . . F Chase Witala scored both of Prince George’s goals, giving him 11. . . . The Americans lost F Tyson Dallman to an interference major and game misconduct at 10:08 of the first period. Prince George G Brett Zarowny was injured on the play and had to leave the game. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks gave up the game’s first two goals then roared back to beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-2. . . . Earlier in the day, the Winterhawks appeared at No. 1 in the CHL’s weekly rankings, having unseated the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads by putting up three straight shutouts. . . . Portland F Nic Petan, the WHL’s leading scorer, broke a 2-2 tie at 5:20 of the third period. . . . Portland F Taylor Peters, in his 300th game, added insurance with a shorthanded goal at 15:20. . . . Petan had a goal, his 35th, and an assist, and was plus-3. He leads the WHL in assists (55) and points (90), and is tied for the goal lead with F Todd Fiddler of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic is second in points (85), with Kamloops F Colin Smith third, at 80. . . . Leipsic had a goal, his 33rd, and two assists. . . . Smith scored his 34th goal to give Kamloops a 2-0 lead at 16:24 of the first. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie scored once, running his points streak to 15 games. . . . The Blazers lost D Joel Edmundson to a headshot major and game misconduct in the first period. Portland F Adam (Samuel) De Champlain, who was the victim, didn't return to the game and was watching in street clothes in the second period.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Trent Ouellette, Regina
F Chase De Leo, Portland

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Joel Edmundson, Kamloops (major)
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From former Prince George Cougars captain Brock Hirsche (@bigsexytweet10), whose career is over due to shoulder problems: “Starting a new chapter in my life. Thank you so much Prince George for letting me live out my dream of playing in the Western Hockey League”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Scott King (Kelowna, 1996-97) signed a one-year contract extension with the Hannover Scorpions (Germany, DEL). He had 15 goals and 20 assists in 52 games for the Scorpions last season.
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have signed F Luke Bertolucci, who was a 10^th round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Bertolucci, from Montrose, B.C., played last season with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters, picking up 18 points in 47 games.
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The Vancouver Giants have acquired G Liam Liston, 19, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for two selections, in the third and sixth rounds, of the 2013 bantam draft. . . . Lethbridge acquired Liston from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 16, for G Brandon Anderson and D Spencer Galbraith. In 24 games with the Hurricanes, Liston was 7-13-0, 4.22, .881. . . . The Giants are looking to replace the graduated Adam Morrison and obviously will give Liston first chance. But they do have two young goaltenders – Jackson Whistle, 17, and Payton Lee, 16 – in the organization with considerable promise. However, head coach Don Hay much prefers a veteran goaltender, as was proven last season, again, when the Giants acquired Morrison from the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Hurricanes, meanwhile, acquired G Ty Rimmer, 20, from the Tri-City Americans on May 3, meaning Liston became expendable.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Dean Chynoweth, a former WHL player, coach and GM, is the new head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. . . . Chynoweth was dropped as an assistant coach by the New York Islanders when their season ended. . . . He had been with the Islanders for three seasons. . . . With the Monsters, he takes over from David Quinn, who was head coach for three seasons and now is an assistant coach with the Avalanche. . . .
Brent Thompson, another former WHL player, now is an assistant coach with the NHL’s New York Islanders. He had been head coach of their AHL team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. . . . Two seasons ago, he was the head coach of the ECHL-champion Alaska Aces.
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