Showing posts with label Lukus MacKenzie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lukus MacKenzie. Show all posts

Monday, February 6, 2017

What is WHL franchise worth to Cranbook? ... Another injury for Giants ... Longest game set to resume



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 F Brett Bulmer (Kelowna, 2008-12) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Ingolstadt (Germany, DEL). He was released Friday by mutual agreement by Ilves Tampere (Finland, Liiga). He had two goals and three assists in 23 games. . . .
F Jordan Knackstedt (Red Deer, Moose Jaw, 2004-08) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Esbjerg (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). This season, he had 12 goals and 19 assists in 31 games with Herlev (Denmark, Metal Ligaen). Herlev and Esbjerg reached an agreement (details unknown) allowing Knackstedt to change teams. . . .
D Kyle Cumiskey (Kelowna, 2003-06) has been released by Skellefteå (Sweden, SHL). He had a goal and two assists in 12 games. . . .
F Marcel Noebels (Seattle, Portland, 2010-12) has signed a five-year contract extension with Eisbären Berlin (Germany, DEL). He hasn’t played a league game this season after tearing his left ACL in September in the last group stage game of the Champions Hockey League.
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Keith Powell of Kootenay Business has taken a look at what the economic impact of the Kootenay Ice might be on its home city of Cranbrook.
Powell concluded that the Ice’s departure, presumably to Nanaimo, would mean an increase in his taxes and those of other residents and business owners simply because the Ice’s home arena, Western Financial Place, no longer would have a major tenant.
“That’s why I believe the No.1 economic development, retention or enhancement initiative that the City of Cranbrook, the chamber of commerce and the business community at large must undertake is keeping the WHL franchise in Cranbrook,” Powell writes. “It is, in my mind, such a high priority that it should be the sole focus of the City’s economic development department – 24/7.”
Powell’s complete piece is right here.
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The biggest WHL-related story over the next month won’t have anything to do with happenings on the ice.
Rather, it will have to do with the future of the Kootenay Ice and the immediate future of the WHL and Nanaimo, a city of more than 90,000 people on Vancouver Island.
(The Nanaimo Regional District has a population of more than 135,000. Cranbrook’s population is around 20,000, with about 73,000 people within 150 km.)
What is especially interesting is that if the WHL is to leave Cranbrook, the home of the Ice, it won’t be back. However, if the WHL doesn’t get into Nanaimo this time, there always will be another opportunity, assuming a new arena gets built at some point in time.
There has been, and continues to be, ample speculation that the Ice could be playing out of Nanaimo as soon as next season.
Voters in Nanaimo are scheduled to go to the polls for a referendum on March 11. As noted here earlier, the question is:
“Are you in favour of the City of Nanaimo Council adopting Loan Authorization Bylaw 2017 No. 7237 which will authorize Council to borrow a sum not exceeding $80,000,000, repayable over a period of no more than 20 years, for the development and construction of an event centre that will include an ice arena and other related entertainment, cultural and recreation facilities?"
While city officials obviously are in favour of borrowing and building, the No side has organized and is working to gather support.
Merv Unger, a longtime journalist, a one-time World Wrestling Federation referee (that’s a story for another time) and a former Nanaimo city councillor, has a blog where he often offers commentary on the referendum and the lead-up to it. That blog is right here.
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A tip of the hat to the Saskatoon Blades for the transparency they have shown when releasing information regarding injuries suffered by D Jake Kustra and F Braylon Shmyr during a 4-2 victory over the visiting Red Deer Rebels on Saturday.
Many people have seen the checks that resulted in the injuries, and it’s a good move by the Blades to update the conditions of the players, something that was done on Monday.
“Jake is fine and doing well,” according to the Blades. “He suffered a concussion and a laceration on his head. . . . He didn’t suffer neck or spinal injuries, and was not required to spend the night in the hospital.”
Kustra, who has a history with concussions, is in the protocol.
“Our main concern is his immediate and long term health,” the news release reads, “so obviously we aren’t prepared to make any statements on him returning to action just yet.”
As for Shmyr, he also is in concussion protocol.
“We aren’t prepared to make any statements or estimates on when he will play again as his health is the only concern right now,” the Blades said.
Saskatoon also lost F Lukus MacKenzie, a 17-year-old from Calgary, when he suffered a shoulder injury during fight with Red Deer F Evan Polei, who turns 21 on Feb. 19.
The Blades, who are one point out of a playoff spot, next play Friday when they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors.
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The Vancouver Giants, having lost seven in a row (0-5-2), open a doubleheader in Prince George against the Cougars tonight (Tuesday). The Giants appear to have added another player — F Dawson Holt — to their injury list. Steve Ewen of Postmedia reports that Holt, who didn’t play in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to the host Everett Silvertips, was to see a doctor on Monday. Holt missed 13 earlier games with a shoulder injury. . . . The Giants had seven players with injuries on last week’s WHL roster report, including F Tyler Benson (groin), D Darian Skeoch (ankle) and D Matt Barberis (undisclosed). . . . The Giants dressed only 17 skaters on Saturday, including D Bowen Byram, a 15-year-old who was the third-overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. He now has played four games with Vancouver. . . . The Cougars, meanwhile, go into the two games still in first place in the B.C. Division, but they have lost two games and now lead the second-place Kamloops Blazers by six points, each team having 17 games remaining. The Cougars and Blazers will meet five times in those 17 games, with three of the games scheduled for Prince George.
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The longest game in WHL history will conclude (hopefully) on Wednesday in Brandon. You may recall that the Wheat Kings and Moose Jaw Warriors opened the regular season in Brandon, but the game was stopped in the second period because of fog that simply wouldn't take the hint and leave. . . . The Warriors were leading 2-1 when play was suspended at 14:23 of the second period. . . . F Brayden Watts had scored to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos tied it 31 seconds into the second period. . . . F Nikita Popugaev, now with the Prince George Cougars, gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at 14:23 of the second period, which is when the game was halted. . . . On Wednesday, the suspended game will be completed, starting at 6 p.m. The regularly scheduled game is to start at 7:30 p.m.
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F Owen Sillinger of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees has committed to attend Bemidji State in Minnesota and play for the Beavers next season. Sillinger, the 19-year-old son of former WHL/NHL F Mike Sillinger, was a 10th-round selection by the Vancouver Giants in the 2012 bantam draft. Owen is in his second season with the Vees. . . . Earlier, he had committed to attending Arizona State and playing for the Sun Devils. . . . Owen’s younger brother, Cole, scored five goals and added three assists on Monday as his bantam AA Regina Aces scored a 13-1 victory over the Estevan TS&M Bruins. Cole, born in 2003, will turn 14 on May 16.
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MONDAY’S GAMES:

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Vancouver at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Big day for Shirleys . . . Ex-WHL tough guy dies at 56 . . . Americans run table in East Division


Yes, Craig Cunningham, who played in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants and Portland Winterhawks, was in attendance at an AHL game in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday night. It was the first game he has attended since suffering a heart attack during the pregame warmup on Nov 19. That is former Everett Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert, now the general manager of the Tucson Roadrunners, at the left.
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Collin Shirley was all smiles late Saturday night, and it wasn’t all because the Kamloops Blazers captain had scored once and added two assists in a 6-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants.
A lot of it was because his younger sister, Sophie, had been named the event’s top forward at the IIHF U-18 World Women’s Championship that concluded Saturday in Zlin, Czech Republic. Team USA beat Canada, 3-1, in the final.
Sophie, 17, finished the tournament with two goals and four assists in five games, tying with three others for the tournament scoring lead.
“She’s good,” Collin, 20, said. “She’s a really good skater and a skilled player. She’s really fast and skilled.”
With a laugh, he added: “It was tough to go home (to Saskatoon) at Christmas time and have her give it to me.”
It didn’t take any prodding to get Collin to admit that he’s awfully proud of his sister. His schedule only allowed him to take in part of one game during the U-18 tournament. But, as luck would have it, he picked the right one, Friday’s semifinal in which Sophie had two goals and an assist in a 6-2 victory over Sweden.
“When ever I get a chance to watch her it’s fun to see how far she’s come over the past two years,” he said. “It’s awesome.”
It’s worth noting that there’s another Shirley who’s a pretty fair player, too. That would be Grace, 15, who has 25 points, including 12 goals, in 20 games with the Saskatoon Stars of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.
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Boris Fistric, who won a Memorial Cup championship with Ernie McLean’s New Westminster Bruins died Friday night in an Edmonton hospital. He was 56.
BORIS FISTRIC
Fistric died of a brain hemorrhage after falling on steps at home and striking his head.
He had worked at Edmonton Exchanger for 32 years.
As per Fistric’s wishes, there won’t be a memorial service.
Fistric, an Edmonton native, played two-plus seasons with the Bruins, totalling 27 goals, 76 assists and 973 penalty minutes — he had seasons of 414 and 460 minutes — in 143 games.
He helped the Bruins to the 1978 WHL championship and Memorial Cup title. In the regular season, he had nine goals, 34 assists and 414 penalty minutes. In 21 playoff games, he had three goals and 16 assists, along with 142 penalty minutes.
He was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings early in 1979-80, where he had a goal, eight assists and 164 penalty minutes in 23 games.
Fistric, 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, was vastly under-rated as a passer, perhaps because his propensity for taking penalties over-shadowed that part of his game.
He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the NHL’s 1979 draft.
Fistric played two seasons with their IHL farm team, the Kalamazoo Wings, totalling 15 goals, 57 assists and 788 penalty minutes in 140 regular-season games. He added two assists and 109 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.
He retired after the 1981-82 season.
Fistric’s son, Marc, played four seasons (2002-06) with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants before going on to a pro career that included 325 NHL games. A hard-hitting defenceman, Marc’s season was halted by back problems after the 2014-15 season.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Brandon, G Travis Child stopped 18 shots to earn a shutout in his first start with the Wheat Kings as
TRAVIS CHILD
they beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-0. . . . Child was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos at the trade deadline on Tuesday. . . . He has two shutouts this season, the first two of his career. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the visiting Ice, 8-3, on Friday night. . . . F Ryan Bettens (2) opened the scoring at 12:31 of the first period, with F Connor Gutenberg (9) making it 2-0 at 7:57 of the second. . . . F Reid Duke (25) added another at 14:53, with D Daniel Bukac rounding out the scoring with his first WHL goal, on a PP, at 17:16 of the second. . . . D Kale Clague had two assists. . . . G Payton Lee turned aside 39 shots for the Ice. . . . Brandon was 1-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick went pointless in his second game back. . . . F Vince Loschiavo, who scored one of the Ice’s goals on Friday night, was scratched from this one. . . . Brandon (22-17-4) has won two in a row. The Wheat Kings hold down the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot, eight points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Kootenay (10-27-8) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,045.
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At Calgary, the Prince George Cougars scored three times in the third period and beat the Hitmen, 5-4. . .
TY EDMONDS
. Calgary took a 3-2 lead into the third. . . . Prince George F Jansen Harkins, who has 12 goals, scored at 7:20 and 12:54 to put his side oiut front, 4-3. . . . F Radovan Bondra upped that to 5-3 with his 21st goal at 17:24. . . . Calgary F Beck Malenstyn (18) got it back to within one at 18:39. . . . F Josh Maser (3) had given the Cougars a 1-0 lead at 2:10 of the first period. . . . Calgary tied it on F Mark Kastelic’s eighth goal, at 10:47. . . . Prince George went back out front when F Brad Morrison scored his 17th goal at 13:54. . . . The Hitmen took the lead on second-period goals from F Jakob Stukel (14), at 8:10, and D Jake Bean (3), on a PP, at 19:23. . . . Bondra also had two assists. . . . The Hitmen got three assists from D Vladislav Yeryomenko and one from Bean. . . . G Ty Edmonds blocked 47 shots for the Cougars in winning his 24th game this season. His 93 career victories are three off the franchise record held by Scott Myers. . . . G Trevor Martin stopped 24 shots for Calgary. . . . Calgary was 1-5 on the PP; Prince George was 0-3 on the PP. . . . Prince George F Jesse Gabrielle was hit with a cross-checking major and game misconduct at the end of the third period. . . . The Cougars went 3-1-0 in playing four games in five nights in Alberta. . . . The Cougars scratched D Sam Ruopp and D Tate Olson, both with undisclosed injuries, and F Aaron Boyd (ill). . . . Prince George (31-12-2) has won three in a row and is atop the overall standings, one point ahead of Regina, although the Pats have five games in hand. . . . The Hitmen (15-20-6) had points in each of their previous two games (1-0-1). They are within four points of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 6,607.
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At Everett, F Keegan Kolesar’s goal at 4:44 of OT gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the
KEEGAN KOLESAR
Silvertips. . . . Kolesar has seven goals this season. . . . Seattle took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals from D Ethan Bear (12), at 8:22, and F Alexander True (11), at 8:46. . . . F Matthew Wedman drew the primary assist on each of those goals. . . . The Silvertips tied it on goals from F Connor Dewar (7), at 10:07, and F Eetu Tuulola (11), at 12:20. . . . Seattle went back out front at 15:32 of the third period when F Mathew Barzal scored his third goal of the season, beating Everett G Carter Hart through the legs. The two were teammates on Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. . . . Everett forced OT when F Matt Fonteyne got No. 13 at 17:23. . . . Bear and Barzal also had an assist each. . . . Seattle got 28 saves from G Rylan Toth, while Hart stopped 34 at the other end. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-3. . . . Seattle (22-14-4) has won four in a row and is third in the U.S. Division, three points ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Everett (27-5-8) has points in four straight (2-0-2). It leads the U.S. Division by three points over the Tri-City Americans. The Silvertips have eight games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 8,249, a sellout on Local Heroes Night.
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At Kamloops, line mates Collin Shirley and Lane Bauer combined for a goal and five assists as the Blazers doubled the Vancouver Giants, 6-3. . . . Shirley had a goal and two assists, while Bauer drew
JOE GATENBY
three helpers. Nick Chyzowski, the third member of that line, scored once. . . . The Blazers took a 3-0 first-period lead on goals from F Deven Sideroff (25), Chyzowski (13) and F Rudolfs Balcers (23). . . . F Brendan Semchuk, who is from Kamloops, scored his seventh for the Giants, at 3:59 of the second period. . . . The Blazers jumped back into control on two goals from D Joe Gatenby, at 15:59 of the second period and 3:22 of the third. The latter came via the PP. . . . Gatenby went into this season with five goals in 174 regular-season games, all with the Kelowna Rockets. He has five goals in 44 games with the Blazers, including the first two two-goal games of his career. . . . Vancouver opened the third period with goals from F Brayden Watts,  his fifth, and F Ty Ronning, his 18th, at 5:00 and 10:51. . . . Shirley iced it with a highlight-reel shorthanded score at 14:19. He’s got 18 goals. . . . Balcers and Sideroff added an assist each. . . . F James Malm had three assists for Vancouver, with Watts adding two to his goal. Ronning had one assist. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson, making his 15th straight start, stopped 25 shots. G Connor Ingram, who hasn’t played since being with Team Canada at the World Junior Championship, should rejoin the Blazers before they entertain the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday. . . . Vancouver G David Tendeck stopped 28 shots. . . . Kamloops was 1-3 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Blazers (26-16-3) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). They are tied with the Kelowna Rockets for second in the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (16-25-3) have lost five in a row. . . . Vancouver F Tyler Benson missed his sixth straight game with what was said on Jan. 4 to be a minor injury. . . . Announced attendance: 3,923.
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At Lethbridge, F Alec Baer scored two goals for the second time in three games to help the Hurricanes to a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Baer had three goals in 39 games with the Vancouver
ALEC BAER
Giants. He has four in three games since being dealt to Lethbridge. . . . The Oil Kings got three goals from F Colton Kehler, who has 14 scores. . . . Lethbridge scored the game’s first three goals, with Baer counting at 1:25 and D Brennan Riddle (4) at 16:00 of the first period, and F Tyler Wong getting No. 31, and the 250th point of his career, at 2:15 of the second. . . . Kehler got his first goal, on a PP, at 3:50. . . . Baer put the home boys up by three again, at 6:34. . . . Kehler answered that one, on a PP, at 19:14. . . . F Egor Babenko (15) scored for Lethbridge at 2:43 of the third period, but Edmonton F Trey Fix-Wolansky replied with his 12th, at 3:01. . . . Lethbridge F Giorgio Estephan’s 22nd goal, at 5:38, ended up being the winner. It also was his 200th career point. . . . The Oil Kings got close as Kehler completed the hat trick at 10:09 and D Conner McDonald (3) scored at 18:32. . . . Lethbridge F Zak Zborosky had two assists, with Wong and Babenko adding one each. . . . Edmonton got two assists from each of D Will Warm and F Davis Koch, with Fix-Wolansky getting one. . . . G Ryan Gilchrist stopped 29 shots for the Hurricanes, nine more than Edmonton’s Patrick Dea. . . . Edmonton was 2-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 1-5. . . . D Matthew Robertson made his WHL debut with the Oil Kings. He was their first-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He was brought in from the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings. . . . Lethbridge (24-15-6) has points in five straight (4-0-1) and is second in the Central Division. . . . Edmonton (18-22-4) has lost five in a row and now is tied with the Saskatoon Blades for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . Announced attendance: 3,577.
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At Portland, F JareT Anderson-Dolan scored two goals and set up another, and F Keanu Yamamoto had two goals as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Winterhawks, 6-5. . . . The Winterhawks had beaten the host
JARET ANDERSON-DOLAN
Chiefs, 5-4, on Friday night. . . . Last night, F Riley Woods (8) gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 1:24 of the first period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 27th goal at 1:55. . . . The Chiefs scored the next three goals, with Anderson-Dolan counting at 9:01, Yamamoto scoring at 9:55 and F Eli Zummack (3) scoring, on a PP, at 4:11 of the second period. . . . The Winterhawks replied with three straight goals. F Alex Overhardt (6) scored on a PP at 5:36, with F Ryan Hughes (16) getting the Winterhawks to within one at 6:13 and McKenzie tying it at 8:26. . . . The Chiefs went up by two as Yamamoto got No. 18 at 11:57 and Anderson-Dolan scored his 22nd at 11:57 of the third. . . . (I wonder how often that happens? The same team scores back-to-back goals at the identical time in back-to-back periods.) . . . F Cody Glass (21) pulled Portland back to within a goal at 18:34. . . . Woods and Zummack each had an assist for Spokane. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld had two assists for Portland, with Glass and Overhardt each getting one. . . . The Chiefs got 38 saves from G Dawson Weatherill. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten three times on five shots in 9:55. Shane Farkas finished up in his WHL debut, allowing three goals on 20 shots in 48:04. Farkas, who turned 18 on Thursday, is from Penticton, B.C. . . . This was the fourth meeting of eight this season between these teams. Portland now is 3-1-0, while the Chiefs are 1-2-1. . . . Hughes has a goal in each of the four games. . . . F Keegan Iverson, the team captain, was among the Portland scratches after he didn’t finish Friday’s game due to an undisclosed injury. . . . The Chiefs (18-19-7) had lost their previous four games (0-3-1). They are two points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Winterhawks (22-19-1) are in possession of the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot but are just two points ahead of Spokane. . . . Announced attendance: 7,005. . . . F Matt Revel, acquired by the Winterhawks from the Kamloops Blazers at the trade deadline, is scheduled to travel to Portland on Jan. 22. Revel, 20, has been out since Dec. 10 with a collarbone injury that is expected to keep out until some time in February.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored the game’s last two goals to give the Pats a 7-6 OT victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Brooks tied the game with 8.6 seconds left to play and won it 18 seconds into
ADAM BROOKS
OT. The winner was the 100th goal of his career. . . . He finished with two goals, giving him 24, and an assist. . . . The Raiders actually led this one 4-0 after one period on two goals from F Carson Miller, who has seven, and singletons from F Curtis Miske (8) and F Jordy Stallard (10). Miller’s first goal and Stallard’s score came via the PP. . . . Regina got back into it with three straight second-period goals — F Bryan Lockner got his third, and second in two nights, while F Jeff de Wit got No, 5 and F Dawson Leedahl got his 18th. . . . F Parker Kelly’s shorthanded goal restored Prince Albert’s two-goal lead at 6:43 of the third period. He’s got seven goals. . . . Regina F Nick Henry’s 21st goal, on a PP, pulled the home boys back to within one, at 7:48. . . . Raiders F Spencer Moe (4) gave them a 6-4 lead at 10:08. . . . F Jake Leschyshyn (17) scored for Regina at 12:09, setting the stage for Brooks’ heroics. . . . Regina got three assists from F Sam Steel, two from D Josh Mahura, and one from de Wit. . . . Steel and Brooks are tied for the WHL scoring lead, each with 73 points. . . . D Vojtech Budik had two assists for the Raiders, with Miller adding one for a three-point night. . . . G Kurtis Chapman, up from the MJHL’s Portage Terriers, made his first career WHL started for Regina and gave up four goals on 13 shots in 20 minutes. He was backed up by Max Paddock, who plays for the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings. Paddock, a nephew to Regina GM/head coach John Paddock, came on in relief and posted his first WHL victory by stopping 13 of 15 shots. . . . The Pats are down to the third and fourth goaltenders on their depth chart. Starter Tyler Brown went out with an undisclosed injury during Friday’s 6-5 loss to the visiting Tri-City Americans. Backup Jordan Hollett has been out with an ankle injury since before Christmas. . . . The Raiders got 29 saves from Nic Sanders. . . . Prince Albert was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 1-2. . . . When the Raiders went up 4-0, it meant that the Pats had given up nine straight goals. The Tri-City Americans had scored the game’s last five goals in a 6-5 victory in Regina on Friday. . . . D Connor Hobbs and F Filip Ahl were among Regina’s scratches. . . . The Raiders were without F Simon Stransky, who left Friday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Red Deer Rebels after absorbing a third-period hit from D Brandon Schuldaus. . . . Regina (28-5-7) had lost its previous two games. It is second in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars. . . . Prince Albert (8-33-5) has lost nine in a row (0-6-3). . . . Announced attendance: 5,127.
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At Saskatoon, F Lukus MacKenzie’s shorthanded goal broke a 2-2 tie at 6:58 of the third period and the Blades went on to a 4-2 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . MacKenzie has six goals. . . . F Michael Farren’s fourth goal, on a PP, gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead at 3:37 of the first period. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei then scored twice, giving him 19, at 7:04 and 15:08 of the second period, for a 2-1 lead. . . . The Blades tied it on F Gage Ramsay’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 2:18 of the third period. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk added insurance for the Blades, his 17th goal going into an empty net at 19:43. . . . Farren also had an assist. . . . F Adam Musil had two helpers for the Rebels. . . . G Logan Flodell stopped 20 shots for the Blades, one more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Saskatoon was 2-4 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-1. . . . The Blades (17-22-6) have won two in a row and are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . The Rebels (20-18-6) had won their previous two games. They are third in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 3,173.
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At Swift Current, F Jordan Topping and F Morgan Geekie scored shootout goals to give Tri-City a 4-3
JORDAN TOPPING
victory over the Broncos, allowing the Americans to run the table on their East Division trip. . . . F Ryley Lindgren’s 15th goal, his first since coming over to the Broncos from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the week, opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game. . . . F Jordan Topping gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with goals at 9:39 of the first and 9:38 of the second. . . . F Glenn Gawdin (16) and F Tyler Steenbergen (33) put the Broncos back out front by scoring at 1:10 and 6:07 of the third. . . . Geekie’s 25th goal, at 15:04 of the third, on a PP, forced OT. . . . Topping scored in the second round of the circus, with Lindgren replying for the Broncos. Geekie’s third-round goal won it. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi had two assists for Swift Current and Steenbergen added one to his goal. . . . Tri-City got 28 stops from G Rylan Parenteau, while Jordan Papirny stopped 29 at the other end. . . . Tri-City was 2-5 on the PP; Swift Current 0-6. . . . The Americans (28-17-3) have won six in a row. They are second in the U.S. Division, 11 points ahead of Seattle, which holds eight games in hand. . . . The Broncos (24-13-8) have lost two straight (0-1-1). They are third in the East Division, three points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Announced attendance: 2,080.
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At Victoria, G Griffen Outhouse stopped 36 shots to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory over the Moose Jaw
GRIFFEN OUTHOUSE
Warriors. . . . Outhouse turned aside 11 shots in the first period and 15 in the third as he posted his third shutout this season and the seventh of his career, which is in its second season. . . . Outhouse also won his 23rd game this season as he improved his career record to 41-18-7. . . . F Tyler Soy opened the scoring with his 18th goal, at 12:26 of the first period. . . . Victoria went up 2-0 when F Vladimir Bobylev (4) struck on a PP, at 2:26 of the second period. . . . F Matt Phillips got No. 28 at 19:35 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw G Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . The Royals were 1-5 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-5. . . . Victoria (23-18-4) had lost its previous three games. It holds down the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot. . . . Moose Jaw (26-11-7) is 1-1-0 on its B.C. Division tour. The Warriors remain second in the East Division, four points behind the Regina Pats and three ahead of the Swift Current Broncos. . . . Announced attendance: 5,275.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 4 p.m.
Regina at Prince Albert, 4 p.m.
Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Red Deer at Swift Current, 4 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:29 AM
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Sunday, December 11, 2016

Cougars forward gets NHL deal . . . Blazers, Raiders cut deal . . . Silvertips back on top

JESSE GABRIELLE
F Jesse Gabrielle of the Prince George Cougars has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL’s Boston Bruins. Gabrielle, 19, had 19 goals and 11 assists in 25 games with the Cougars this season. . . . Last season, he put up 75 points, including 40 goals, in 72 games with the Cougars. In 214 regular-season games — he also has played with the Regina Pats and Brandon Wheat Kings — Gabrielle has 175 points, including 94 goals. . . . From Moosomin, Sask., Gabrielle was a fourth-round pick by the Bruins in the 2015 NHL draft. . . . Gabrielle was a fifth-round selection by the Wheat Kings in the 2012 WHL bantam draft.
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The Kamloops Blazers have acquired F Nic Holowko, 19, from the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional sixth-round selection in the WHL’s 2018 bantam draft. Holowko, who is from Burnaby, B.C., is expected to join the Blazers today (Monday) and play on Tuesday against the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . Holowko had been scratched from each of the Raiders’ last five games. He last played on Nov. 30 in a 5-1 loss to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Holowko had two goals and five assists in 26 games with the Raiders, who acquired him from the Seattle Thunderbirds on Sept. 15 for F Layne Bensmiller and a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2018 bantam draft. . . . In two seasons with Seattle, he had 11 goals and 18 assists in 135 games. . . . Holowko adds some depth and experience to a lineup that lost veteran F Matt Revel, 20, to an undisclosed injury during a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Saturday night. Revel will miss at least the last five games of what is a six-game Central Division road trip.
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F Riley McKay of the Spokane Chiefs has been hit with a TBD suspension for a one-man fight during a game against the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C., on Saturday night. . . . This is the third one-man fight suspension in the WHL this season; the first two drew eight and five games. D Sam Ruopp of the Prince George Cougars has served his eight-game sentence, while F Zach Fischer of the Medicine Hat Tigers in in the middle of his five-game suspension.
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Shayne Sanborn, a coach with the Omaha AAA hockey organization, was killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Iowa on Saturday. The accident also claimed the lives of brothers Jamison, 14, and Gavin, 11, Steckler of Audubon, Iowa. . . . The Omaha AAA organization put this statement on its Facebook page: "Words cannot express our sorrow and grief today with the passing of under 14 assistant coach Sanborn. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in this difficult time. He was a valued member of our coaching staff and will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, Shayne." . . . There is more on the accident right here.
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If you’ve got a comment, some information you would like to pass along, or if you just want to say hello, feel free to contact me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
If you would like to donate to the cause, please visit the bottom of this post and go right ahead.
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Coaching
Two former coaches of the junior B Princeton Posse are suing the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League team for what they claim are unpaid wages. The Penticton Herald, in a story by Erin Christie, reports that Geoff Goodman, a former general manager and head coach, and his assistant coach, Lance Vaillancourt, have filed separate lawsuits in small claims court in Penticton. Goodman is claiming $13,333, while Vaillancourt wants $3,000. . . . Both men were fired by the Posse on Nov. 16. . . . Christie’s story is right here.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, F Jakob Stukel scored the only goal of the shootout as the Hitmen beat the Kamloops
JAKOB STUKEL
Blazers, 3-2. . . . Blazers F Collin Shirley forced OT with his 100th career goal at 18:27 of the third period, on a PP, as the visitors erased a 2-0 first-period deficit. Shirley had picked up his 200th career point one night earlier in Edmonton. . . . In fact, Calgary led 2-0 before the game four minutes old. . . . F Matteo Gennaro (11) scored 32 seconds into the game and F Jordy Stallard (5) made it 2-0 at 3:11. . . . Kamloops F Deven Sideroff scored his 17th goal at 5:31 of the third period to halve the deficit. . . . The Blazers got two assists from F Garrett Pilon, who has figured in the team’s last five goals. Kamloops beat the Oil Kings, 3-2, in Edmonton on Saturday night. . . . The Hitmen got 31 saves from G Kyle Dumba, who also stopped all three shooters in the circus. . . . Kamloops G Dylan Ferguson made 33 stops as he started his eighth game of the season and his second in a row, with Connor Ingram at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. Ferguson hadn’t started two straight since the first two games of the season. . . . Ferguson also drew an assist on Shirley’s goal. . . . Kamloops was 1-6 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Hitmen (12-15-2) are without D Jake Bean (Team Canada). . . . Kamloops (18-12-2) has points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . The Blazers are 1-0-1 on a six-game Central Division trek. . . . Announced attendance: 7,825.
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At Everett, F Dominic Zwerger burned his former team for two goals and an assist as the Silvertips beat
DOMINIC
ZWERGER
the Spokane Chiefs, 5-3. . . . Zwerger, who has 13 goals, scored at 3:14 of the first period and 1:27 of the second as Everett took a 2-0 lead. . . . The Chiefs got on the scoreboard when F Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored at 4:25 of the second, but Everett F Graham Millar (7) got that one back at 9:43. . . . Anderson-Dolan then scored his 16th goal  and 29th point, in 31 games at 10:25. He finished last season with 14 goals and 12 assists in 65 games. In his last four games, he has six goals and two helpers. . . . F Riley Sutter (10) restored the home team’s two-goal edge, on a PP, at 3:44 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs got back to within one on F Keanu Yamamoto’s 13th goal, at 7:47. That ran his point streak to 12 games. . . . Everett F Connor Dewar (3) got the empty-netter at 18:57. . . . F Patrick Bajkov D Kevin Davis and F Matt Fonteyne each had two assists for the Silvertips. . . . Everett got 24 saves from G Mario Petit. . . . Spokane starter Jayden Sittler surrendered three goals on 14 shots in 29:43. Dawson Weatherill finished up, allowing a goal on 12 shots. . . . Everett was 2-4 on the PP; Spokane was 0-2. . . . This was the third game in three nights — and the fourth in five nights — for both teams. Each team went 2-1-1. . . . The Chiefs are 2-1-1 in the season series; the Silvertips are 2-2-0. . . . Everett is without G Carter Hart and D Noah Juulsen, both of whom are in camp with Canada’s national junior team. . . . The Silvertips (22-4-5) moved atop the overall standings, one point ahead of the idle Regina Pats (21-2-6), who hold two games in hand. . . . The Chiefs (13-12-6) had been 2-0-1 in their previous three games. . . . Announced attendance: 3,502.
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At Lethbridge, F Tyler Wong drew three assists in helping the Hurricanes to a 6-5 victory over the
STUART SKINNER
Kelowna Rockets. . . . This was a strange one in that the Rockets scored the game’s first and last goals. In between, Lethbridge scored three times, then Kelowna struck for three, and finally the Hurricanes scored three in a row. . . . Kelowna F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s first goal, at 1:35 of the first period, got it started. . . . The Hurricanes then struck three times, with D Brennan Menell (6) scoring at 2:28, D Calen Addison (5) at 5:20 and F Jordy Bellerive (13), on a PP, at 6:46. . . . The Rockets roared back with three of their own, two of them from F Calvin Thurkauf, who has 17 goals, and one from D James Hilsendager, who got his first. . . . The next three goals went to Lethbridge. F Colton Kroeker (5) tied the game, 4-4, at 13:41 of the second period. F Tanner Nagel (6) provided a 5-4 lead at 10:26 of the third period. F Egor Babenko (9) scored on a PP at 15:03. . . . F Nolan Foote (6) got Kelowna back to within a goal at 16:42. . . . Addison, Bellerive and Kroeker each added an assist to their goals. . . . D Cal Foote and F Kole Lind each had three assists for the Rockets, with Bruggen-Cate and Hilsendager each adding one. . . . Thurkauf has eight goals and two assists over his past four games. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 38 stops. . . . Kelowna starter Michael Herringer was beaten three times on four shots in 6:46. Brodan Salmond came on to stop 28 of 31 in 52:14. . . . Lethbridge was 2-4 on the PP; Kelowna was 1-3. . . . The Rockets are without F Nick Merkley and F Dillon Dube, both of whom are at the Canadian national junior team’s selection camp. . . . Lethbridge (18-11-4) is 11-0-1 in its past 12 games. . . . The Rockets (19-12-1) had been 6-0-1 in their previous seven outings. . . . Announced attendance: 3,015.
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At Saskatoon, the Blades scored the game’s last four goals as they beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 5-3. . .
LUKUS MacKENZIE
. The Warriors led 3-1 early in the second period but weren’t able to put it away. . . . F Jayden Halbgewachs, who leads the WHL with 27 goals, scored twice and added an assist for Moose Jaw. His goal-scoring streak now is at nine games and his 47 points leave him one off the WHL lead. . . . D Josh Brook (3) gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead 28 seconds into the game. . . . Saskatoon F Braylon Shmyr (13) tied it, on a PP, at 5:39. . . . Halbgewachs then scored twice, at 18:25 of the first and 4:57 of the second period. . . . F Brayden Burke drew assists on both goals as he ran his point streak to nine games. . . . F Lukus MacKenzie pulled the Blades to within one, at 9:37 of the second period. . . . MacKenzie then tied it with his third goal of the season, at 2:35 of the third period. . . . D Jordan Henderson broke the tie with his first goal, at 17:47, and F Kolten Olynek (7), who also had an assist, added a shorthanded empty-netter, at 19:59. . . . F Michael Farren and F Logan Christensen had two assists each for Saskatoon as they set up MacKenzie’s goals. . . . The Blades got 29 saves from G Brock Hamm. . . . Brody Willms stopped 33 shots for the Warriors. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 0-4. . . . F Brett Howden (Team Canada) and D Matt Sozanski (hangnail/shoulder) were among Moose Jaw’s scratches as it dressed only 16 skaters. The Warriors also are without head coach Tim Hunter, who is with Team Canada. . . . Moose Jaw F Noah Gregor had a 10-game point streak come to an end. . . . Saskatoon (13-18-2) has won two straight and closed to within two points of a wild-card playoff spot. . . . Moose Jaw (18-7-5) had been 3-0-1 in its previous four games. . . . Announced attendance: 4,202.
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kelowna at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Spokane vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Portland at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Friday, Dec. 16: Saskatoon at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 16: Portland vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 8:27 PM
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Monday, August 11, 2014

Looking at WHL coaching changes . . . Remembering Robin Williams



Dave Struch, who spent the past eight seasons on the coaching staff of the Saskatoon Blades, may be in line for a change of direction in his career. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has that story right here.
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As you will be aware, 10 of the WHL’s 22 teams have changed head coaches since the end of the 2013-14 season. Larry Fisher, who writes for the Kelowna Daily Courier and thehockeywriters.com, takes a look at all of the changes right here.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Lukus MacKenzie, who was a third-round selection in the WHL’s 2014 bantam draft. From Calgary, MacKenzie played last season at the Edge School. He had 66 points, including 21 goals, in 59 games with the bantam AAA team. . . . The Blades open training camp on Aug. 21 at the Legends Centre in Warman, Sask.
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The Medicine Hat connection with the Vancouver Canucks grew by one more on Monday when the NHL team added Perry Pearn to its coaching staff. Pearn was the head coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1994-95. . . . Former Tigers captain Trevor Linden is the Canucks’ president, while Willie Desjardins, a former Tigers GM and coach, is Vancouver’s new head coach. Doug Lidster, who also worked with the Tigers, is on the Canucks’ coach staff, too. . . . Pearn, 63, has worked as an assistant coach in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets. He was with the Jets for the past two seasons. He is a native of Stettler, Alta.
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The legs feed the wolf.
Herb Brooks, who loved nothing more than to sit in the stands of the Crushed Can in Moose Jaw and talk hockey, died in a car accident 11 years ago yesterday. USA Hockey remembers right here.
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I look at this picture and I can't stop laughing. Last night,
History in Pictures (@HistoryInPics) tweeted this 1980
photo of Robin Williams in action with the Denver
Broncos cheerleaders.
The great Robin Williams left us on Monday morning and it seems that he took his own life. Williams, 63, had been battling severe depression, according to his publicist.
Yes, we knew there were drugs and alcohol, but who saw this coming? If ever there was proof that you can’t tell a book by its cover when it comes to mental illness, Robin Williams may be it.
Perhaps the death of Williams, as bright a star as there has been in years, will spur change in the way that a lot of society continues to look at and deal with mental illness. We can hope.
The New York Times’ obituary is right here.
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There’s a piece right here on Robin Williams that first appeared in Rolling Stone on Feb. 21, 1991. There were shadows in his life even then.
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“You are the kindest country in the world,” Robin Williams once said of Canada. “You are like a really nice apartment over a meth lab.”
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Here, from jokes4us.com, is a taste of the Robin Williams we loved so much:
“God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time.”
“Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Politics: Poli, a Latin word meaning many; and tics meaning, bloodsucking creatures.”
“In England, if you commit a crime, the police don’t have a gun and you don’t have a gun. If you commit a crime, the police will say Stop, or I’ll say stop again.”
“Cocaine is God’s way of saying you’re making too much money.”
“Do you think God gets stoned? I think so… look at the platypus.”
“If it’s the Psychic Network why do they need a phone number?”
“My God. We’ve had cloning in the South for years. It’s called cousins.”
“You’ll notice that Bush never speaks when Cheney is drinking water.”
“You could talk about same-sex marriage, but people who have been married (say) ‘It’s the same sex all the time.’ ”
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KIDNEY WALK:

The 2014 Kidney Walk and Kidney Run is scheduled for Kamloops’ Riverside Park on Sunday, Aug. 24.
My wife, Dorothy, who underwent a kidney transplant on Sept. 23, will walk 2.5 kilometres in support of the Kidney Foundation. That, in itself, is a miracle. A year ago, she couldn’t have walked 100 metres without stopping to rest.
I will join her, as will our son, Todd, and his girlfriend, Joanna, who live in Burnaby, B.C.
If you would like to be part of Dorothy’s Team, feel free to donate by clicking right here and then going to ’Sponsor a Participant’.
The response on Monday was terrific. I just wish you all could have been here to listen to Dorothy as folks like you made donations.
“I am so lucky to have such support,” she said on more than one occasion. The other favourite is: “I am so blessed.”
Yes, we are.
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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:18 PM
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