'It makes me cry at my computer . . .'

F Tomáš Vincour (Edmonton, Vancouver, 2007-10) has signed a one-year contract with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga). Last season, with Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL), he had six goals and five assists in 39 games. . . .
F Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10) has signed a tryout contract through Sept. 30 with Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). Last season, he had four goals in seven games with the Rockford IceHogs (AHL), two goals and an assist in seven games with HV71 Jönköping (Sweden, SHL), and two goals and five assists in 39 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).
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An email arrived in my Inbox on Thursday morning. It was from a former WHL defenceman, who in his playing days could have played on my team, your team or any team. No, he wasn’t an all-star; rather, he was a tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners defenceman, the kind you can’t win without. Yes, he fought; mostly, though, he played hard, really hard.
“I have had some depression issues in the past,” he wrote, “not to the point where I was thinking of doing anything drastic, but depression none the less.
“Was it from too many concussions? Maybe, not sure.
“My point to all this is, I know there are former players, just like myself, who have the same issues I do, they just hide it. Is it solely a hockey player problem? No, but it makes me cry at my computer when I see these kids killing themselves.
“Keep it in the spotlight, thanks for writing about this topic.”
That email came on the heels of another note, this from the wife of a career coach.
The other day, she wrote: “I read a Facebook status from a player who played for (my husband) on two different teams talking about his battle with depression. I contacted him. He was a tough guy, said he felt the need to live up to that reputation, until now.”
And now I’m wondering just how many former hockey players there are out there who are dealing, or trying to deal, with depression?
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TRADE WIRE:
THE DEAL: The Prince George Cougars acquired D Dominic Thom, 18, from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2016 bantam draft.
THE SKINNY: Thom, from Calgary, was a ninth-round pick by Brandon in the 2011 bantam draft. He played in two games with Brandon, both last season, earning one assist. He played 29 games with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs, recording a goal and five assists.
THE ANALYSIS: The Wheat Kings get a draft pick, likely conditional on his being on the Cougars’ roster at a particular date, for a player who wasn’t going to stick with them. The Cougars get to look at a 6-foot-3, 185-pound defenceman who could provide them with some depth on the back end.
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F Axel Blomqvist will be a bit late reporting to the Victoria Royals. That’s because he will play for Team Sweden at a Four Nations tournament in Jönköping, Aug. 29-31. Earlier this summer, Blomqvist, who was acquired by Victoria from the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season, attended Sweden’s national junior evaluation camp. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Blomqvist, 19, hopes to be named to the Swedish team that will play in the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. . . . The 2015 tournament will be split between Montreal and Toronto, running Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Blomqvist put up 43 points, including 16 goals, in 46 games with the Royals last season. He attended the Winnipeg Jets’ rookie and main camps as an undrafted free agent last season and ended up signing a three-year entry-level deal.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed F Logan Christensen, who was a second-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Christensen, from Morden, Man., had 79 points, 34 of them goals, in 54 games at the Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna last season.
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Teams in the QMJHL have been in camp for a few days now. If you’re wondering why that league always starts so early, Willy Palov of the Halifax ChronicleHerald has the scoop right here.
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A story in Thursday’s Ottawa Citizen begins with this: “A 31-year-old recreational hockey player has been sentenced to 18 months’ probation after a rare criminal conviction for an on-ice collision — a decision that his lawyer says has set a dangerous precedent that could chill participation in such hockey leagues.” . . . Meghan Hurley’s complete story is right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Ryan Smith, the MJHL’s coach of the year last season, now is the general manager and head coach of the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. He replaces Dean Brockman, who now is an assistant coach with the Saskatoon Blades. Smith, from Winnipeg, has a three-year contract with the Broncos. . . . Smith spent five seasons as the GM/head coach with the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers.
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Darren Komonoski is back with the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies, as assistant coach and goaltending coach. Komonoski returns to the Grizzlies after stepping aside for a couple of years. He also works with the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. . . . A native of Humboldt, Sask., Komonoski, who lives in Revelstoke, will work with GM/head coach Ryan Parent. The Grizzlies play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
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Matt Cockell (Saskatoon, Seattle, Regina, Spokane, 1996-99) is back with the Brandon Wheat Kings as their goaltending coach. Cockell, from Winnipeg, spent the past two seasons with Hockey Canada after being part of the Wheat Kings’ coaching staff. He was the goaltending coach with the Canadian women’s team that won gold at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi last season. . . . While Cockell was gone, Brent Zelenwich had served as Brandon’s goaltending coach.
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Fernando Pisani, a native of Edmonton who played 402 regular-season games with the Oilers, has joined the U of Alberta Golden Bears as the lead assistant to head coach Ian Herbers. Pisani, 37, was the club’s part-time assistant last season; he now is full-time. He fills the spot created when Ryan Marsh left the Golden Bears to sign on as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
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D MacKenzie Johnston (Kelowna, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, 2009-2014) will attend Mount Royal University and play for the Cougars. A native of Swift Current, Johnston played out his junior eligibility last season, splitting it between the Kelowna Rockets, Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades. . . . D Dylan Busenius (Medicine Hat, Prince Albert, Saskatoon), who also played out his junior eligibility last season, has decided to attend the U of Calgary and play for the Dinosaurs. . . . F Connor Sanvido (Seattle, Swift Current, Saskatoon, 2009-13) will attend St. Thomas U in Fredericton, N.B., and play for the Tommies. Sanvido, the 14th overall pick in the WHL’s 2008 bantam draft, played three seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds. He split last season between the Swift Current Broncos and Saskatoon Blades as he completed his junior eligibility. . . . A tip of the hat to Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix for tweeting all three of those moves.
The Brandon Wheat Kings revealed Thursday that they have sold 1,907 season tickets, “a slight increase over what the club had sold at the same time last summer.” The Wheat Kings sold more than “2,300 season tickets” last season when their average regular-season attendance was 3,529. . . . The Wheat Kings also announced that Russian D Ivan Provorov, 17, will report to training camp on Aug. 23. Provorov, who played with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders last season, was selected in the 2014 CHL import draft. In 2012-13, he played midget hockey in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, Penn.

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Hey @HockeyCanada see this yet ? 30km West of Flin Flon, MB, side of hwy, saluting double gold in Sochi #ourgame pic.twitter.com/9uvADjrnht
— Evan Hammond (@HamWilder) August 15, 2014

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Wheat Kings star hospitalized

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Hnat Domenichelli (Kamloops, 1992-96) has announced his retirement after 12 seasons in Switzerland NL A. He started the season with Lugano, then then transferred to Bern (both Switzerland, NL A). With Lugano, he had seven points, including three goals, in 10 games. With Bern, he put up 17 points, nine of them goals, in 32 games.
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A trust fund has been established to assist the Bozon family with medical- and rehabilitation-related costs with which they now are faced.
You are able to make a donation at any BMO Bank of Montreal branch in Western Canada.
Should you live outside of that area and want to donate, please mail donations to:
Western Hockey League
c/o Tim Bozon
Father David Bauer Arena
2424 University Drive NW
Calgary AB
T2N 3Y9
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F Jayce Hawryluk of the Brandon Wheat Kings was taken to Brandon General Hospital
by ambulance after his club’s 5-4 victory over the Regina Pats on Wednesday night.

JAYCE HAWRYLUK

Hawryluk scored three times in the victory and also added an assist, giving him eight points in the first three games of the first-round series. The Wheat Kings hold a 3-0 lead with Game 4 scheduled for Brandon on Friday night.
After the game, Kelly McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings’ owner/general manager and head coach, reported:
“Jayce was taken to hospital after tonight's game. While concerned the club believes it is not serious. Until we have more information we can not pinpoint the cause. Jayce is resting comfortably.”
Hawryluk, who turned 18 on Jan. 1, is from Roblin, Man. A sophomore, he had 64 points, including 24 goals, in 59 regular-season games. He was a second-round selection by Brandon in the 2011 bantam draft.
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It is pretty much a given in the hockey world that a team’s dressing room belongs to the coaches and players.
It has long been seen as a sanctuary for the players and there often is a coaches’ office attached to it. In most situations, if someone from management wants to see a coach or a player, that person is beckoned upstairs, if you will, for that meeting. If a general manager, for example, needs to be in a dressing room, it oftentimes is only a brief visit.
That doesn’t seem to be the case with the Saskatoon Blades, nor will it be as things evolve there under the ownership of the father-and-son team of Mike and Colin Priestner.
Curtis Leschyshyn, a former Blades defenceman who went on to an NHL career, was an assistant coach in Saskatoon this season. Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix quotes Leschyshyn in Wednesday’s newspaper:
Leschyshyn, who revealed last week that he wouldn’t be back with the Blades, said that former owner Jack Brodsky “had ideas, but would respect the decisions that the coaches and (general manager Lorne Molleken) would have. Colin obviously wants to be real involved and be in the locker-room.
"Those were some of the things that, as a player, I never saw in my career nor do I think is part of the game. The room is a very special place for the players. It always should be that way."
Colin Priestner, the franchise’s minority owner and managing partner, said he isn’t about to change his ways.
"Like I said in the first press conference, I felt like I needed to know every player, every employee, every manager and everyone in the organization," he said. "We weren't going to be able to properly identify what we had if I was just going to sit in my office with the door locked all day. That's just not how I operate anyway."
The Priestners, with help from TSN/NHL Network analyst Craig Button, who is a former Calgary Flames GM, are looking for a new general manager and a head coach after dropping Molleken and head coach Dave Struch on Tuesday. It sounds like the new GM and head coach will have to be prepared to have an owner who makes regular visits to the dressing room.
Nugent-Bowman’s complete story is right here.
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A tweet from Kelly Chase (@Chasenpucks39), a former Blades player who was part of a group that attempted to purchase the franchise last summer: “Extremely unfortunate that the @bladeshockey have let go of David Struch great job with very little. May be a blessing.”
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Greg Pocock, a Prince George businessman who heads up a group that is in the process of purchasing the Cougars, has told the Prince George Citizen that the franchise will be staying where it is. “We're not buying a team to move a team, we're buying a team to keep it in Prince George," Pocock told the Citizen‘s Ted Clarke. . . . That story is right here. . . .

Over time, Kelly McCrimmon has become the face of the Brandon Wheat Kings. These days, he is the owner, governor, general manager and head coach coach. Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post takes a look at McCrimmon’s journey right here. . . .

If you are planning to attend Game 5 of the first-round series between the Tri-City Americans and host Kelowna Rockets on Friday, note that the starting time has been moved from 7:05 to 7:30 p.m. . . . The starting time was changed as the game will be televised in Canada on Sportsnet. The Rockets lead the series, 3-1. . . .

D MacKenzie Johnston, 20, has joined the Central league’s Tulsa Oilers for the remainder of the season. Johnston completed his junior eligibility with the Saskatoon Blades. Johnston, who played five seasons in the WHL, was dealt by the Kelowna Rockets to the Prince Albert Raiders early this season, and later traded to the Blades. . . . The Oilers are 32-28-3 and have clinched a playoff spot. . . .

The game-winning goal in the Seattle Thunderbirds’ 4-3 OT victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips on Tuesday night has been changed. F Mathew Barzal had been credited with the goal. It was changed Wednesday to Justin Hickman from Barzal and Ryan Gropp. . . . Following Game 1, the winning goal, that had been credited to Seattle D Shea Theodore, was changed to Gropp. . . .

In the U.S., the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that football players at Northwestern University in Illinois are employees and, as such, are eligible to go through the process of forming a union. . . . There is more on that right here.
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WEDNESDAY'S GAMES:


 In Prince Albert, D Cody Corbett and F Mitch Moroz each had two goals and three assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings dropped the Raiders, 6-2. . . . The Oil Kings swept the series. . . . Edmonton took a 3-2 lead into the latter stages of the second period when it got a PP goal from Corbett at 16:26. . . . Moroz, with his second of the game and the series, added another PP goal at 1:38 of the third and F Curtis Lazar scored at 13:57. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Edmonton was 3-for-5 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-for-2. . . . Edmonton G Tristan Jarry stopped 25 shots, 10 fewer than Cole Cheveldave of the Raiders. . . . Edmonton has appeared in the WHL’s last three championship finals. It’s first-round record on those playoffs now is 12-1. . . .


In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk scored three times and added an assist as the Wheat Kings got past the Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . Hawryluk was taken to Brandon General Hospital after the game, where he was said to be resting comfortably. . . . The Wheat Kings, who lead the series 3-0 and can wrap it up on home ice on Friday night, trailed 4-1 before the game was 14 minutes old. . . . Brandon F Jesse Gabrielle scored the game’s first goal, at 5:29, but the Pats came back with four in a row, the last three in a span of 1:45, with two of those coming from F Dryden Hunt on the PP. . . . D Jesse Zgraggen (7:17), (12:10), F Carter Hansen (12:40) and Hunt (13:55) gave Regina its three-goal lead. . . . Hawryluk scored at 15:39 and 18:01, and Brandon trailed 4-3 going into the second period. . . . F Chad Robinson tied it with a shorthanded goal at 3:19 of the second and Hawryluk got the winner at 15:10 of the third. . . . Hawryluk has four goals and four assists in the series’ three games. . . . Brandon F John Quenneville had three assists. His older brother, Peter, returned to Brandon’s lineup after missing Game 2, as did D Eric Roy. . . . Brandon’s line of Hawryluk, John Quenneville and Gabrielle combined for nine points. . . . Regina F Morgan Klimchuk had two assists. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny, who didn’t practice on Tuesday, stopped 29 shots. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple, out since March 5 with an ankle injury, returned to the ice and stopped 20 shots. . . . Regina was 2-for-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-for-2. . . .


In Swift Current, freshman F Jake DeBrusk scored his third goal of the series at 5:06 of OT as the Broncos got past the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Medicine Hat on Saturday night. . . . DeBrusk, a 17-year-old from Edmonton, has three goals in the series. He had 15 goals in 72 regular-season games, when he had a goal and eight assists in his last six games. . . . The Tigers took a 2-0 first-period lead on two goals by F Curtis Valk, at 7:23 and 8:35. . . . The Broncos got two goals form Graham Black, his first and second of the series, at 1:06 of the second period and 1:01 of the third. . . . F Jay Merkley had two assists for Swift Current, while F Trevor Cox did the same for Medicine Hat. . . . Valk has three goals in the series. . . . The battle between the two European goaltenders continued, as the Broncos’ Eetu Laurikainen, who is from Finland, stopped 40 shots, and Marek Langhamer of the Tigers, who is from Czech Republic, turned aside 42. . . . The Tigers were 0-for-4 on the PP; the Broncos were 0-for-5. . . . F Steve Owre was back with the Tigers after missing five games. . . .


 In Vancouver, F Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Giants, 6-1, to sweep the first-round series. . . . Portland, the WHL’s defending champion, is 10-0 in its last 10 series against Western Conference opponents. The last time Portland lost to a conference opponent was in the spring of 2010 when Vancouver won a conference semifinal in six games. . . . The Winterhawks are into the second round for a fifth straight season. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic opened the scoring with his WHL-leading fifth goal of these playoffs. That was at 16:09 of the first period, on a PP. . . . Portland had a 3-0 lead when Vancouver F Carter Popoff scored, on a PP, at 9:47 of the second. . . . Leipsic and F Keegan Iverson had a goal and an assist each for Portland, which got 32 saves from G Brendan Burke. . . . Vancouver starter Payton Lee stopped 10 of 13 shots, leaving after Portland’s third goal at 17:05 of the first period. . . . Jared Rathjen came on to turn aside 29 of 32 shots. . . . Rathjen wasn’t on the bench for Game 3, as was indicated here yesterday. The WHL’s online score sheet was in error. Cody Porter, from the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors, backed up Lee. . . . Rathjen had needed 15 stitches to close a cut near an eye after he was struck by a puck while on the bench in Game 2 in Portland on Saturday. . . . The Winterhawks, the conference’s No. 2 seed, outscored the No. 7 Giants, 19-7, in the four games. Portland had the WHL’s top-ranked regular-season PP, at 27.5 per cent. It scored six PP goals in 27 opportunities (22.2 per cent) in the series. . . . Vancouver scored one PP goal in 14 opportunities in the four games. . . . Going back to the regular season, the Winterhawks have won 11 in a row and 32 of 33. . . . Including the regular season, Portland went 8-0-0 against Vancouver this season. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot picked up one assist, giving him 47 career playoff points to tie the franchise record held by Glen Wesley (1983-87). . . . Vancouver F Tim Traber was given a major for clipping at 18:21 of the third period for a hit on Portland D Keoni Texeira. Traber, 20, was playing in the final junior game of his career. . . .


 In Spokane, F Austin Carroll celebrated his 20th birthday by scoring twice and adding an assist as the Victoria Royals beat the Chiefs, 6-1. . . . The Royals, who won two OT games on home ice, lead the series 3-0 and can wrap it up tonight in Spokane. . . . The Royals led this one 4-0 after one period on Carroll’s first two goals of the series and singles from F Ben Walker and D Jordan Fransoo. . . . Walker scored 11 seconds into the game, which is four seconds off the WHL record held by F Trevor Linden of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Linden scored seven seconds into a 6-5 victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on April 15, 1988. . . . F Logan Nelson and D Travis Brown each had a goal and an assist for the Royals. . . . F Brandon Magee had three assists for Victoria, which went into this series having lost six straight first-round series, four of which came when it was the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) . . . In those series, the Chilliwack/Victoria teams were 6-24. . . . The Royals were 3-for-6 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-for-2. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 20 shots. . . . Spokane starter Eric Williams allowed five goals on 22 shots. Garret Hughson came on midway through the third and stopped one of two shots. . . . The Chiefs have lost their last seven playoff games. . . . According to Marlon Martens, the radio voice of the Royals, Victoria set franchise playoff records for fewest shots against in a period (3), fastest goal to start a game or period (0:11), most goals for in a road game (6) and most goals in one period (4). . . .


 In Kennewick, Wash., F Tyson Baillie scored his first goal of these playoffs and added two assists to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets lead the series 3-1 and can wrap it up at home on Friday night. . . . Kelowna, which got a goal and an assist from each of D Madison Bowey and F Justin Kirkland, scored the game’s first three goals. . . . The Americans got to within 3-1 and 4-2 but weren’t able to close the gap to a singleton. . . . F Phil Tot and F Brian Williams each scored his third goal of the series for the Americans. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 25 shots, while Tri-City’s Eric Comrie turned aside 27. . . . The Rockets were 1-for-5 on the PP; the Americans were 0-for-4. . . .
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THE FIRST ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. PRINCE ALBERT (8)
(Edmonton wins, 4-0)
Season series: Edmonton, 2-1-1; Prince Albert, 2-2-0.
Saturday: Prince Albert 3 at Edmonton 5 (6,534)
Sunday: Prince Albert 1 at Edmonton 3 (6,584)
Tuesday: Edmonton 4 at Prince Albert 3 (2,881)
Wednesday: Edmonton 6 at Prince Albert 2 (2,727)
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, 3-5 weeks; D Blake Orban, indefinite; F Reid Petryk, day-to-day.
Prince Albert: D Graeme Craig, indefinite.
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REGINA (2) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Brandon leads, 3-0)
Season series: Brandon, 5-3-0; Regina, 3-3-2.
Saturday: Brandon 6 at Regina 3 (6,200)
Sunday: Brandon 8 at Regina 4 (5,014)
Wednesday: Regina 4 at Brandon 5 (3,547)
Friday: Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
x-Saturday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Regina vs. Brandon, at Dauphin, Man., 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Brandon at Regina, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Brandon: None.
Regina: D Tye Hand, indefinite.
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CALGARY (3) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Series tied, 2-2)
Season series: Calgary, 4-4-0; Kootenay, 4-2-2.
Thursday: Kootenay 5 at Calgary 2 (6,649)
Saturday: Kootenay 0 at Calgary 5 (9,019)
Monday: Calgary 7 at Kootenay 6 (OT) (1,992)
Tuesday: Calgary 4 at Kootenay 5 (2,102)
Thursday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Saturday: Calgary at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Calgary: F Cal Babych, day-to-day; F Connor Rankin, day-to-day.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
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MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. SWIFT CURRENT (5)
(Series tied, 2-2)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 2-2-0; Swift Current, 2-2-0.
Friday: Swift Current 1 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,512)
Saturday: Swift Current 2 at Medicine Hat 4 (3743)
Tuesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Swift Current 3 (2,840)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 2 at Swift Current 3 (OT) (2,890)
Saturday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday: Medicine Hat at Swift Current, 7 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Swift Current at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Anthony Ast, indefinite; F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Swift Current: None.
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WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. TRI-CITY (8)
(Kelowna leads, 3-1)
Season series: Kelowna, 4-4-0; Tri-City, 0-3-1.
Saturday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 3 (5,827)
Sunday: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 3 (5,041)
Tuesday: Kelowna 3 at Tri-City 4 (2,010)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Tri-City 3 (2,189)
Friday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
x-Saturday: Kelowna at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.
x-Tuesday: Tri-City at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Tri-City plays home games in Kennewick, Wash.)
INJURIES
Kelowna: D Jesse Lees, indefinite.
Tri-City: F Taylor Vickerman, indefinite.
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PORTLAND (2) vs. VANCOUVER (7)
(Portland wins, 4-0)
Season series: Portland, 4-0-0; Vancouver, 0-3-1.
Friday: Vancouver 3 at Portland 4 (9,756)
Saturday: Vancouver 0 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Tuesday: Portland 6 at Vancouver 3 (5,680)
Wednesday: Portland 6 at Vancouver 1 (5,142)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Vancouver: F Tyler Benson, indefinite; G Jared Rathjen, day-to-day; F Jakob Stukel, indefinite; D Dalton Thrower, indefinite.
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VICTORIA (3) vs. SPOKANE (6)
(Victoria leads, 3-0)
Season series: Victoria, 1-3-0; Spokane, 3-1-0.
Saturday: Spokane 1 at Victoria 2 (OT) (6,615)
Sunday: Spokane 3 at Victoria 4 (OT) (4,629)
Wednesday: Victoria 6 at Spokane 1 (3,412)
Thursday: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Saturday: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday: Victoria at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Spokane at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
INJURIES
Victoria: None.
Spokane: D Colton Bobyk, week-to-week; F Adam Hascic, day-to-day; F Blair Oneschuk, week-to-week.
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SEATTLE (4) vs. EVERETT (5)
(Seattle leads, 3-0)
Season series: Seattle, 5-4-1; Everett, 5-4-1.
Saturday: Everett 1 at Seattle 2 (4,650)
Sunday: Seattle 3 at Everett 1 (4,150)
Tuesday: Everett 3 at Seattle 4 (OT) (5,176)
Friday: Seattle at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
x-Saturday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
x-Monday: Seattle at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Everett at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.
(NOTE: Seattle plays home games in Kent, Wash.)
INJURIES
Seattle: F Connor Honey, indefinite.
Everett: F Kohl Baum, indefinite; F Tyler Sandhu, day-to-day.
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From the Kootenay Ice (@WHLKootenayICE): “Between Games 3 & 4 our fans raised $1,579.27 for the Tim Bozon Trust Fun. Best fans in the world #tb20 #getwelltim”
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One more from the Ice: “Huge high five goes out to local businesses in Cranbrook. They donated $1,525 to the Tim Bozon Trust Fund #kice #tb20 #getwelltim”
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From Darren Steinke (@MHND_Steinke) of the Medicine Hat News: “Always a classic site on the road with #MHTigers in playoffs. Morning skate and Bob Ridley is being interviewed by Regina's CTV.”
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From the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “True Story: When we showed up to the Art Hauser Centre for morning skate today, there was a broom sitting outside the locker room #omen?”


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A bra on the ice? In a WHL game?

Two former WHL players have had their contracts terminated by Esbjerg Energy, a pro team in Denmark’s Al-Bank Liga.
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) and F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07), along with backup goaltender David Jones, admitted, according to Lokalavisen.dk, before the Danish Ice Hockey Federation (DIF), having bet that “Rungsted would score at least one goal in the 1st period” of a Jan. 3 game. Rungsted scored three times in the first period, en route to a 7-4 victory.
Lokalavisen.dk reported that team president Christian Rølmer Christensen was “both surprised and disappointed about the matter.”
After tweeting about this on Friday, The MacBeth Report checks in with:
“Players were told at the start of the season that they were prohibited from betting on their own games – this is the government lottery, not some back-alley bookie deal. A Rungsted player told someone in Esbjerg’s management that they were suspicious about what happened in the first period. The club went to the Danish Federation. The three players admitted to the bets to the DIF and Esbjerg terminated their contracts immediately. The DIF Match Fixing Committee is investigating and will report to the DIF board in about three weeks. I would guess that DIF could ban the players for a period of time. This would probably be honoured by other federations, so their careers may be done.”
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“The process of determining who gets to host the Memorial Cup is broken,” writes Tony Saxon of the Guelph Mercury. . . . This comes after the news that the 2013 tournament, which was held in Saskatoon, fell quite a bit short of the pre-tournament profit guarantee of $3.5 million. . . . Saxon’s column is right here.
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The junior career of Tyson Ness, 20, may have ended Friday night when the Kamloops Blazers forward took a puck to the face and suffered a broken jaw during a 7-2 loss to the visiting Victoria Royals. Ness, who had 24 points, including 12 goals, in 48 games, may need surgery. He has told people in the Blazers’ organization that he wants to come back and play one more game, so perhaps he’ll suit up for the team’s final regular-season game. . . .
F Curtis Valk of the Medicine Hat Tigers ran his goal-scoring streak to seven games, the longest in the WHL this season, in a 4-0 victory over the host Blazers on Saturday night. He has a team-high 26 goals. . . . G Nick Schneider, 16, earned the shutout for the Tigers. He stopped 19 shots in his first start since coming over from the Regina Pats in January. . . . The Tigers, playing their fourth game in five nights, outshot the Blazers, 34-19, including 17-9 in the third period. . . . The Blazers, who are 1-4-1 under head coach Guy Charron since he replaced Dave Hunchak on Jan. 11, were without F Matt Needham, who was injured again in Friday’s game, and lost F Luke Harrison in the third period last night following a collision with Medicine Hat D Scott Allan. Harrison, who has missed time this season with a brain injury, was attended to by trainer Colin Robinson and left with gauze in his mouth. . . . Kamloops G Justin Myles remains out with an undisclosed injury. G Al Duncan, who plays for the junior B Chase, B.C., Heat, backed up Bolton Pouliot last night. . . . 
You may have seen this tweet from Bob Ridley, the Tigers’ legendary broadcaster, on Friday night: “Can't understand why the classy Prospera Place in Kelowna can't provide visiting broadcasters with a decent broadcast location.” . . . It turns out that he had problems broadcasting the Tigers’ 6-2 loss to the Rockets because he struggled to see past the TV cameras that were perched in front of his location. . . .
F Peter Quenneville had two goals to lead the host Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-3 victory over the Prince George Cougars. Quenneville has 35 points, including 14 goals, in 30 games since leaving Quinnipiac University for the Wheat Kings earlier this season. He had four assists in five games with the Bobcats. . . .
The host Edmonton Oil Kings scored the game’s first five goals en route to a convincing 7-3 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. The victory left Edmonton at 33-13-1 and atop the Eastern Conference. The Oil Kings are tied in points (67) with Calgary (31-12-5), but have played one fewer game and have two more victories. . . . The Oil Kings are 9-1-0 in their last 10 and have won four in a row. . . . The same teams will meet today in Calgary. . . . 
G Patrik Bartosak stopped 41 shots as the Red Deer Rebels went into Regina and beat the Pats, 4-0. He has five shutouts this season and 11 in his career. . . . One night earlier, the Pats blanked visiting Prince George, 8-0. . . .
They saluted the Brodsky in Saskatoon last night -- the family owned the Blades for 37 years -- and the Blades then went out and got past the Swift Current Broncos 3-2 in OT. D MacKenzie Johnston, who is from Swift Current, got the winner at 3:16 of extra time. . . .
F Sam Reinhart struck for three goals, giving him 24, as the host Kootenay Ice dropped the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-2. . . . Moose Jaw actually led 2-0 midway through the first period before giving up the game’s last six goals. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon scored his 20^th goal of the season. He has 41 points, including 17 goals, in 36 games with the Ice, who acquired him from the Kamloops Blazers 13 games into the season. . . .
The Victoria Royals, who may be the WHL’s best defensive team these days, got 32 saves from G Patrik Polivka and beat the Giants 3-1 in Vancouver. . . . The Royals have allowed 120 goals in 41 games. At 33-16-2, they are third in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Victoria needs two more victories to tie the franchise’s single-season record that was set last season. . . . Vancouver D Dalton Thrower (ankle) sat out as his side played its sixth game in nine nights. . . . The Royals and Giants will meet again Friday and Saturday, this time in Victoria. . . . 
G Jackson Whistle stopped 26 shots as the host Kelowna Rockets dumped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-0. The Kelowna native posted the first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The Hurricanes, who have lost eight in a row, were outscored 27-3 in a four-game swing into B.C. . . . The Rockets, who lead the overall standings, won for the 40^th time this season. . . .
In Kent, Wash., F Roberts Lipsbergs scored his 29^th goal this season at 1:48 of OT as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . Lipsbergs scored via the PP. . . . Seattle F Ryan Gropp had tied the game 3-3 with a PP goal at 14:19 of the third. . . . Seattle was 4-for-5 on the PP. . . . F Josh Winquist scored his 30^th goal of the season for Everett. He is the eighth skater in franchise history to reach 30 goals in a season. . . . Seattle G Taran Kozun stopped 25 shots. He’s 5-0-0, 1.35, .952 since coming over in a deadline-day swap with Kamloops, where he was 5-19-3, 3.95, .897. . . . It was a Teddy Bear Game and Seattle D Shea Theodore scored the goal. He also had three assists. . . .
The Spokane Chiefs outscored Tri-City 3-2 in the shootout and beat the Americans, 2-1. . . . Attendance was 10,325. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 35 shots, 15 more than Eric Williams of the Chiefs. . . . Spokane D Reid Gow scored his second goal of the season, to go with his 40 assists, all in 41 games.
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From Victoria Royals F Jack Walker: “Got the win and some lady threw her bra on the ice what more could you ask for? #2pts”

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Winterhawks' streak reaches 11

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was released by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL). He had yet to play a game this season.
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As Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts at Large tweeted on Friday, the Calgary Hitmen got back D Alex Roach, 20, from the NHL's Los Angeles. . . . Roach played three games with the ECHL's Ontario Reign, earning three assists. . . . The Kings signed him as an undrafted free agent. . . . Roach, from Quesnel, B.C., has 83 points, 23 of them goals, in 184 games with the Hitmen. . . . His return leaves the Hitmen with four 20-year-olds, one over the roster limit. They will have 14 days to move Roach, D Jesse Zgraggen, F Brady Brassart or D Jaynen Rissling.
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The OHL's Erie Otters ran their winning streak to a franchise-record 11 games on Saturday as they dumped the host Niagara Ice Dogs, 6-0. Kris Knoblauch, a former WHL player and coach, is the Otters' head coach. . . . The Otters are scheduled to meet the Knights in London this afternoon.
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You likely are aware that the legendary Bobby Orr has written a book in which he makes the case that fighting belongs in hockey, at least at the NHL level. If you missed it, The Globe and Mail carried an excerpt from that book right here. . .
Ken Dryden, the former goaltending great, disagrees. Dryden's piece from Saturday's Globe and Mail is right here.
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Mike Beamish of the Vancouver Sun, who normally spends his time covering the B.C. Lions, had a couple of good reads in Saturday's sports section, both of them involving Pavel Bure. The first one is right here, with the other right here. . . . The first of those involves a confession from Beamish, who admits to once asking Bure for his autograph. The second story is about how Igor Kuperman played a role in Bure ending up with the Vancouver Canucks, who retired his number (10) last night.
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SUDBURY SATURDAY NIGHT:
In Lethbrige, F Jessey Astles had two goals and two assists as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Hurricanes, 8-1. . . . The Hurricanes have played 17 games this season and won only two of them. They are  2-12-3 and already nine points out of a playoff spot. . . . Astles, who has a career-high four goals this season, went into the game with two assists in 16 games. He also was plus-4. . . . Going into this season, Astles had seven goals in 179 games. . . . F Devon McAndrews, who joined the Americans from the AJHL this week, had a goal, his first, and two assists. He also finished plus-4. He had two assists in 13 games with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 24 shots for the victory; his brother Ty, 16, scored his first WHL goal. . . . The Americans have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . F Parker Bowles scored for a second straight game for the Americans. He had missed the season's first 18 games as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. . . .

In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game's last three goals and beat the Cougars, 4-1. . . . Kelowna F Carter Rigby picked up an assist in his first game this season after recovering from shoulder woes. . . . The Rockets had beaten the host Cougars 7-6 in a shootout on Friday night. . . . Kelowna (11-2-2) has won four straight and leads the B.C. Division by three points over the Victoria Royals (10-8-1), who have played three more games. . . . F Tyrell Goulbourne was scratched by the Rockets after suffering an undisclosed injury on Friday. . . .

In Victoria, the Royals scored the game's first three goals and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-1. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges, who played his first game of the season on Friday, drew two first-period assists. He had been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. . . . This was the first time in four opportunities that Victoria head coach Dave Lowry had earned the victory over Red Deer GM/head coach Brent Sutter. Lowry was an assistant under Sutter for three seasons with the NHL's Calgary Flames. . . .

In Swift Current, the Broncos scored six third-period goals and beat the Saskatoon Blades, 7-6. . . . Saskatoon actually took a 5-1 lead into the third period. . . . Swift Current F Graham Black tied it at 11:36 of the third period and F Connor Sanvido won it at 19:15. . . . Black finished with two goals and two assists, getting a goal and two helpers in the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Matt Revel scored a natural hat trick, getting three goals in 10:53, the first coming in the first period and last two in the second. . . . Swift Current had a 23-7 edge in third-period shots. . . . Saskatoon F Nikita Scherbak, a Russian freshman, ran his point streak to 11 games with a first-period assist. . . . Tweet from Blades radio voice Les Lazaruk (@Bladesvoice): "I believe it was the late, great Jack Buck who said it, but I can't believe what I just saw. @bladeshockey L 7-6 in Swift. Led 5-1 after 40." . . . The Broncos have won four in a row; the Blades have lost four straight. . . .

In Moose Jaw, F Dakota Conroy scored at 2:53 of OT to give the Raiders a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . Raiders D MacKenzie Johnston had forced extra time with a goal at 16:47 of the third period. It was his first goal of the season. . . . Johnston, 20, who was acquired last month from the Kelowna Rockets, has nine goals in 246 career games. . . . The Raiders (11-6-1) lead the East Division and are one point behind the Eastern Conference-leading Medicine Hat Tigers (11-3-2). . . .

In Everett, G Daniel Cotton stopped 16 shots as the Silvertips blanked his old club, the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0. . . . Cotton has three career shutouts, one this season. . . . All of his shutouts have been with Everett. He played 18 games with Seattle -- one in 2010-11 and 17 in 2011-12 -- before he ended up in Everett. . . . F Josh Winquist scored twice, giving him 13 on the season. . . . Everett held a 12-2 edge on shots in the first period and 11-5 in the second. . . . The Silvertips (11-3-2) are three points off the U.S. Division lead. . . . The Silvertips have added F Darcy DeRoose, 18, to their roster, although he didn't play in this one. A native of Weyburn, Sask., he had been with the SJHL's Estevan Bruins, for whom he had 12 points, eight of them goals, in 14 games. Earlier in his career, he played three games with the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Everett F Dawson Leedahl didn't play as he is awaiting word on a suspension after a checking-from-behind major in Friday's 6-3 loss to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Seattle was without F Roberts Lipsbergs (undisclosed injury) and D Evan Wardley, who is awaiting word on a suspension after he took out Portland F Adam De Champlain one night earlier during a 5-2 loss in Kent, Wash. . . .

In Kamloops, D Brett Kulak's shootout goal gave the Vancouver Giants a 4-3 victory over the Blazers. . . . The Giants have won four of five, with the victories all coming on the road. In the last week, they won twice in Kamloops and twice in Prince George. . . . Blazers F Nick Chyzowski, 16, scored his first two WHL goals, pulling his side into 2-2 and 3-3 ties in the third period. He is the son of former Blazers F Dave Chyzowski. . . . F Aspen Sterzer had three assists for Kamloops. . . .

In Spokane, the Portland Winterhawks ran their winning streak to 11 games with a 3-1 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The defending-champion Winterhawks have the WHL's best record, at 14-3-1. . . . Portland has won six in a row on the road. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the game's first goal to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Portland F Nic Petan drew an assist on that goal and is riding an 11-game point streak. . . . Petan finished with three assists. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg had his season-opening point streak stopped at 17 games. He put up a league-leading 42 points over that stretch. . . . The Winterhawks next play Wednesday against the visiting Tri-City Americans. . . . The Chiefs (12-5-0) are three points in back of the Winterhawks.
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The NHL had one of its dimmer moments Saturday when it announced that Philadelphia Flyers G Ray Emery wouldn't be suspended for his Friday night assault on Washington Capitals G Braden Holtby. . . . Apparently, the NHL doesn't have a rule that covers an assault on an unwilling dance partner. . . . John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal gives the NHL a few jabs right here.
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From Hall of Fame hockey writer Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) of the Los Angeles Times: "NHL once suspended Sean Avery for conduct detrimental to the game but won't invoke clause to suspend Ray Emery for (Friday) night's craziness?"
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From columnist Gary Lawless (@garylawless) of the Winnipeg Free Press: "so if the #blackhawks score a couple more should we expect a line brawl featuring 1 of #nhljets beating up someone who doesn't want to fight."
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From TSN's Dave Hodge (@TSNDaveHodge): "There's nothing in the rule book that allows the NHL to suspend Ray Emery, which means there's nothing that covers stupid stuff."

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Cooke, Rockets blank Blazers

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
If you weren’t aware, the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers just don’t like each other.
It’s the Hatfields and McCoys on ice, but without the guns, of course.
And the bad blood was very much in evidence again Friday night, as the Rockets dropped the Blazers 4-0 in what should have been a simple exhibition game at Interior Savings Centre.
With Kelowna unable to dress the full complement of players — two goaltenders and 18 skaters — due to having two injured players and seven others at NHL camps, the Blazers agreed to dress down, too. The home boys used 16 skaters, while the visitors dressed 15.
It could have been worse for the Rockets, too, as they had five players leave the game at various stages, all shaken up. Only sophomore forward Rourke Chartier didn’t return, leaving after taking a third-period check to the head from Blazers forward Devin Oakes, who was tossed from the proceedings and likely is looking at a WHL-issued suspension.
Had it been all hands on deck, things may only have been chippier than they were. And, as it were, referees Duncan Brow and Mike Campbell handed out (27) minor penalties, two fighting majors, two misconducts, two game misconducts and the penalties to Oakes.
“Our discipline wasn’t even close to where it needs to be,” said Kamloops head coach Dave Hunchak, who was clearly disgruntled after this one. “We gave up 10 power plays . . . they scored on two.”
The Blazers were given 70 of the game’s 119 penalty minutes.
“We took some foolish penalties at bad times. . . . that just isn’t good enough,” Hunchak continued. “We have standards to meet and it didn’t get done tonight. . . . We have to control our game between the whistles.”
The Blazers, now 1-2 in the preseason, escaped from the first period trailing only 1-0 and even, at 12, on the shot clock. But the second period was a decidedly different story as the Rockets (2-1) scored twice, were given the period’s only three power plays, and outshot their hosts, 18-5.
“It was the same as our first two games,” said Hunchak, whose side has been outshot 119-70 in three games. “We were inconsistent in a lot of areas. At times we competed very hard, at other times we didn’t.”
A big part of the problem, Hunchak feels, is that the Blazers are searching for an identity.
“We have to accept who we are,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of skill in our group right now, so we have to play a very basic game, a simple chip-and-chase type of game, and try to make teams play below their goal line.”
There wasn’t much of that last night, especially with the Rockets getting 10 power-play opportunities, while the Blazers had five.
Forward Tyson Baillie had two goals for the Rockets, with singles coming from Chartier, who also had two assists, and Justin Kirkland. The visitors also got a big game from defenceman MacKenzie Johnston, 20, who drew three assists and was physical.
Kelowna goaltender Jordon Cooke, 20, turned aaside 26 shots in recording the first shutout of this WHL exhibition season.
Hunchak spent a long time in the dressing room after the game, especially when one considers that this was an exhibition game. Asked what the message to the players was, he replied:
“We have to talk; we have to come together as a group. There are a lot of new faces in that room. Every time we come to the rink we have to engage in conversation.
“Guys can’t text each other in the dressing room . . . you have to talk. That’s how you become a team.”
This was the Blazers’ final home appearance of the exhibition season. They are scheduled to meet the Vancouver Giants at Burnaby’s Bill Copeland Arena on Sunday, 3 p.m., then will finish up in Prince George against the Cougars on Sept. 14.
Kamloops opens the regular season at home, against these same Rockets, on Sept. 20. The teams will meet up again the following night in Kelowna.
JUST NOTES: Attendance was 1,727. . . . Kamloops G Taran Kozun went the distance. He turned aside 36 shots. . . . F Tristan Sieben, acquired Thursday by Kamloops from Vancouver, didn't play. . . . Blazers D Sam Grist wasn’t available, after leaving earlier in the day to join the San Jose Sharks at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton. Grist, 20, didn’t play against the Winnipeg Jets and former Blazers F JC Lipon last night. Lipon had nine penalty minutes as the Jets won, 5-3. . . . The Sharks also are to play Sunday against the Calgary Flames, meaning Grist won’t be available for the Blazers’ game against the Giants. . . . Vancouver is apparently down to one goaltender, so if something should happen to Payton Lee during Sunday’s game, the Blazers’ backup will play for the Giants. . . . In a prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., last night, Blazers F Cole Ully was pointless as his Dallas Stars lost 4-2 to the Detroit Red Wings. Former Kamloops F Brendan Ranford had one power-play assist for the Stars.

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