Wednesday . . .

Goaltender Luke Siemens of the Everett Silvertips thwarts forward Justin Feser
of the Tri-City Americans from in close last night at the Toyota Center
in Kennewick, Wash.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

Kim Davis is the commissioner of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Davis, who played in the WHL (Flin Flon, 1974-77), has dropped some big numbers on a couple of teams — like 86 games in suspensions and $4,000 in fines.
Jesse Enns of the Swan Valley Stampeders drew a 40-game suspension after he took a lengthy run at an opposing player with three seconds left in a playoff game with the Portage Terriers on Saturday night.
The kerfuffle took place as the Terriers were finishing off the Sher-Wood Division playoff series.
Two assistant coaches — Dallas Anderson of Swan Valley and Jim Tkachyk of Portage — each drew a 22-game sentence. Their sin? They duked it out at the benches following the game’s conclusion. Each coach also was fined $1,500.
As well, Swan Valley head coach Dwayne Kirkup drew a two-game suspension and a $1,000 fine for picking up a gross misconduct and for not having control of his bench.
So there you have it . . . 86 games and $4,000 in fines and only four people are involved. That has to be some kind of record.
If you haven’t seen the video, it’s right here.
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F Mitch Fadden’s days with the Tampa Bay Lightning are done.
Fadden (Seattle, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 2003-09) has been placed on waivers by the Lightning and managements intends to release him.
The move comes after Fadden, 22, was arrested earlier this month in Salmon Arm, B.C., and charged with impaired driving, failing to provide a breath sample, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and obstructing a peace officer. The Salmon Arm Observer report is right here.
Fadden was with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, an affiliate of the Lightning’s, but hadn’t played since January because of a blood clot in one leg. When he played, though, he was effective, witness 51 points in 37 games.
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In Saskatoon last night, the Blades got shootout goals from F Brayden Schenn and F Marek Viednesky as they beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-2 in a shootout. . . . The Blades now have at least a point from each of their last eight games (7-0-1). . . . F Torrin White forced the OT with his first WHL goal at 10:29 of the third period. White, from Balzac, Alta., was the 21st overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft. His father, Terry, scouts for the Prince George Cougars. . . . Saskatoon lost F Jake Trask on the game’s first shift. Apparently, he may have a concussion. . . . The Blades will finish first in the overall standings; the Warriors are headed for a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference. . . .
In Calgary, G Jamie Tucker stopped 34 shots to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 6-2 victory over the Hitmen. . . . .With the victory, the Raiders clinched at least a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Lethbridge Hurricanes are ninth, four points back with two games to play. A tie for the last playoff spot would necessitate a sudden-death playoff game. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Vancouver Giants, 5-3. . . . F Brad Ross scored his 30th goal and added two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 28 shots. . . . Portland remains atop the Western Conference, one point up on the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Giants, who have lost seven in a row, slipped a spot to sixth, one point behind the Chilliwack Bruins. . . .
In Spokane, Chilliwack G Lucas Gore put on perhaps the best display of goaltending in the WHL this season, but his Bruins still lost to the Chiefs, 2-1 in a shootout. . . . Gore stopped 77 shots — that’s right, 77 shots — through overtime. He turned aside 11 shots in the first period, 32 in the second and 29 of 30 in the third. . . . F Tyler Johnson and F Blake Gal outscored the visitors 2-0 in the shootout. . . . F Ryan Howse gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with his 51st goal at 19:57 of the second. . . . F Matt Marantz tied it with his 19th at 8:52 of the third. . . . The victory kept the Chiefs within a point of the conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . The loser point lifted the Bruins into fifth, one point ahead of the Vancouver Giants. . . . The fifth-place finisher will meet the Tri-City Americans in the first round; finish sixth and you get Portland or Spokane. . . .
In Kelowna, G Calvin Pickard stopped 23 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-0 victory over the Rockets. . . . The shutout was the first of the season for Pickard. . . . Kelowna, which had won five in a row, has been blanked seven times. . . . The Rockets will finish first in the B.C. Division and be the conference’s second seed in the first round. . . . The Thunderbirds moved into a tie for ninth with the idle Kamloops Blazers, three points behind the Prince George Cougars. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., G Luke Siemens stopped 35 shots to lead the Everett Silvertips to a 2-1 victory over the host Tri-City Americans. . . . F Ryan Harrison broke a 1-1 tie with a PP goal at 9:17 of the third period. . . . Siemens, who is 7-10-2, was starting in place of Kent Simpson (ankle). Siemens last won Jan. 7 when he beat the Americans in Everett. . . . Everett ended a seven-game losing streak and moved past the idle Prince George Cougars and into seventh place in the Western Conference. . . . The Americans have dropped five of their last home games after earlier winning 13 in a row. . . . The Americans will finish fourth in the conference.
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WEDNESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
One minor:
Chilliwack D Brandon Manning
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JUST NOTES: D Tanner Sohn, 19, is back with the Saskatoon Blades. Sohn, a 13th round pick of the Blades in the 2006 bantam draft, began this season with the Vancouver Giants and finished it with the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats. In between, he was dealt to the Blades, who wanted him as a depth defenceman in the playoffs. . . . Capgeek.com has reported the terms of the three-year contract that F Wacey Hamilton of the Medicine Hat Tigers signed with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. Hamilton, a 20-year-old free agent, gets US$67,500 per season in the AHL, with his NHL salaries pegged at $690,000, $715,000 and $740,000. He got a $270,000 signing bonus, at $90,000 per year. . . . The New York Rangers have signed D Dylan McIlrath of the Moose Jaw Warriors. He was the 10th overall pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft. . . . The Kamloops Blazers have signed 6-foot-3, 205-pound F Dallas Calvin, 16, to a WHL contract. Calvin was placed on the Blazers’ protected list in September. Calvin, who is from Trail, played this season with the junior B Beaver Valley Nitehawks, picking up 40 points in 40 regular-season games. In the playoffs, he had 17 points in 12 games. . . . F Josh Cowen of the Red Deer Rebels, out since Feb. 19 with a broken hand, may be back halfway through the first round of playoffs.
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If you are of the opinion that there is too much violence in hockey these days, you may be interested in signing this online petition. Check it out right here.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

It sure does sound as though at least a couple of QMJHL teams are going to be on the move once this season draws to a close. It could be that the province of Prince Edward Island will lose one team but gain another. There is more right here.
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It turns out that the website on the Lethbridge Maple Leafs that was mentioned here earlier this week is the work of Trevor Esau and his son, Darcen. They also have another site dedicated to hockey history. It is right here. Feel free to check it out and, once you do, don’t forget to bookmark it. . . . Make sure you find the photo of the 1970-71 Lethbridge Sugar Kings. There is Lanny McDonald, without the ’stache, and, yes, that is John Chapman kneeling in the front.
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Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun was at the Top Prospects game on Wednesday night and he had Red Deer Rebels F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the best player on the ice. Koshan’s report from the Air Canada Centre is right here. . . . The attendance? One can only assume the hockey fans stayed at home to watch their Maple Leafs lost to the Rangers in New York. And how did that go?
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They are the mostly unsung heroes of the WHL. They are the off-ice officials. About the only time you hear about them is when a coach is upset over the shots on goal.
Which is why congratulations are in order to Ken Thomas, who is an off-ice official with the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.
Thomas, who does it all from being a goal judge to spotter to penalty box attendant, has been named Kent’s new Chief of Police. The announcement was made Wednesday by Kent Mayor Suzzette Cooke.
Chief Thomas will be sworn in sometime in the next two weeks. Presently a captain of the 185-member department, he is a 22-year veteran of policing. He also serves on the Thunderbird Community Sports Foundation and is on the foundation’s grant review committee. As well, he makes an annual presentation to Seattle players on public safety.
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Some folks were tweeting earlier today about WHL products on NHL rosters, and someone noted that every NHL team but one has a WHLer on its roster. That one, it was noted, was the New Jersey Devils. . . . The Devils do have one WHLer out with a long-term injury — D Bryce Salvador (Lethbridge, 1992-97) hasn’t played this season because of a concussion.
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The MJHL’s Swan Valley Stampeders, who play out of Swan River, have signed head coach Dwayne Kirkup to an extension that will run through 2012-13. He was the MJHL’s coach of the year in 2009-10, his first season with the Stampeders. . . . Kirkup is from Souris, Man., which also produced the likes of Andy Murray, Garry Davidson and Glen (Ab) Williamson, all of whom have had good runs in hockey at one level or another.
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One WHL player had his truck stolen on Wednesday afternoon. Which is why police officers regularly tell people not to leave their vehicles running, even when you are going to be away only for a minute or two. Read all about this incident right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, goaltenders Thomas Heemskerk and Brandon Stone combined for 20 saves as the Warriors blanked the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-0. . . . Heemskerk stopped 19 shots over 59:06, with Stone coming on to make one save in the final 54 seconds. . . . Moose Jaw head coach Dave Hunchak made the goaltending change as play got chippy late in the third period. . . . F Quinton Howden scored twice for the Warriors, giving him 27. . . . D Dylan McIlrath drew three assists, while F Sebastian Svendsen had two. . . . The teams combined for 104 penalty minutes, with 64 of those going to Lethbridge. . . . The Hurricanes have been blanked six times this season; the Warriors have put up three shutouts, with Heemskerk and Stone sharing two of them — both at home against Lethbridge. . . . The Crushed Can was rocking with 2,807 fans in the building. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Spencer Main had four assists and G Adam Brown stopped 30 shots as the Rockets dumped the Prince George Cougars, 6-2. . . . F Cody Chikie scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season, getting both in the first period to help the Rockets take a 3-0 lead. . . . Chikie’s second goal, at 13:00, sent G Ty Rimmer to the bench in favor of James Priestner. Chikie stopped six of nine; Priestner 17 of 20. . . . Attendance was 6,061. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., F Connor Rankin had a goal and two assists and G Drew Owsley earned his third shutout this season as the host Tri-City Americans blanked the Kamloops Blazers, 5-0. . . . The Americans were leading 1-0, on D Paul Sohor’s second goal, when F Carter Ashton and Rankin scored 19 seconds apart in the second period. . . . Owsley stopped 21 shots, only two in the third period, in earning his eighth career shutout and his 25th victory this season. . . . The Blazers were without injured forwards Jordan DePape, Thomas Frazee, Bernhard Keil and Chase Schaber, then lost C Dalibor Bortnak to an undisclosed injury in the third period. That left them with eight forwards on their bench. . . . The Americans have won 12 straight home games. . . . Kamloops D Josh Caron may hear from the WHL office after being hit with a spearing major and game misconduct in the third period. . . . Kamloops took 45 of the 59 penalty minutes handed out by referee Jason Nissen. . . . Attendance was 3,812. . . . The Blazers wrapped up the U.S. portion of their road schedule with the game. The Americans have yet to play in Kamloops this season.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
D Daniel Johnston, Lethbridge
D Reid Jackson, Lethbridge

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter