THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed for the rest of the season with Csíkszereda Miercurea-Ciuc (Romania, MOL Liga). Last season, Curilla had 17 points, six of them goals, in 40 games with Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga) and seven points, including two goals, in 10 games with Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga). . . .
F Joni Lindlöf (Kelowna, Lethbridge, 2002-04) has been loaned to Almtuna (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by Wings Arlanda (Sweden, Div 1). With the Wings, he had 18 points, including 10 goals, and was plus-15 in 12 games. . . .
F Malte Strömwall (Tri-City, 2011-13) had been loaned to Troja-Ljungby (Sweden, Allsvenskan) by Växjö (Sweden, SHL). This season, he has one assist in 14 games with Växjö.
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1. The Brandon Wheat Kings have dropped D Dominic Thom, 17, from their roster. He is expected to join the AJHL's Calgary Mustangs. . . . Thom was selected in the ninth round of the 2011 bantam draft. He had one assist and was plus-3 in two games with the Wheat Kings this season. . . . Brandon is taking 24 players, including two goaltenders and 15 forwards, on its U.S. Division swing that opens Friday in Spokane against the Chiefs.

2. The female football fan who got punched by the guy wearing a New York Jets sweater? She has been charged with simple assault and disorderly content. There's more right here.

3. The Monday Morning Quarterback site is doing a lot of work this week with concussion-related stories. There's a good one right here, written by Richard Deitsch, about network television and the tightrope it walks in reporting on the issue.

4. It was a big night for the Thrower family on Wednesday, what with the Calgary Hitmen in Vancouver to play the Giants. Dalton, a defenceman, is the captain of the Giants. Younger brother Josh is a defenceman with the Hitmen. . . . Their sister, Danae, sang O Canada prior to the game. . . . Their parents, Melanie and Murray, were in the stands. . . . Andy Prest of the North Shore News has a good read right here on the Thrower family — it hasn't been easy for them to get to this point in their lives.

5. Someone asked me the other day if I had read any good books lately. Well, I have had some time on my hands, so the answer is "Yes!" . . . Here are a few titles. . . .
Detroit: An American Autopsy, by Charlie LeDuff, is an incredible look at the Motor City and provides more than a hint at how the city ended up in such dire straits. I think I read something the other day about a former mayor drawing a 38-year jail sentence. . . . Highly recommended. . . .
Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt that Brought Him to Justice, written by Boston Globe reporters Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy, reads like fiction but isn't. . . . Best book I've read to this point in 2013. . . .
An Accidental Sportswriter, by Robert Lipsyte, provides a neat look at the life of a newspaper columnist who spent a whole lot of time around Muhammad Ali. Lipsyte now is ESPN's ombudsman and is a superb essayist. . . .
Northern Light (The enduring mystery of Tom Thomson and the woman who loved him), written by Roy MacGregor, explores the demise of artist Tom Thomson from every angle. An engrossing read. . . .
Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories, written by, yes, Randy Bachman, is similar to his CBC radio program, only without the music, unless you want to supply that on your iPod. Lots of good stories here. . . .
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures is another essay-filled work by author Malcolm Gladwell. Lots of food for thought here. . . .
There has been some fiction, too. . . . The Racketeer, by John Grisham, is good mind candy, as is The Innocent, by David Baldacci. This was the first Baldacci book I have read, and I will certainly read more of his stuff. . . . I also enjoyed Black Fridays, by Michael Sears, about a bad boy trying to do good in the world of high finance. . . .

6. So . . . when did the St. Louis Cardinals lose the ability to catch a baseball? Oh boy, that was embarrassing. . . . According to ESPN Stats & Info, "Game 1 winner: wins World Series 62% of time; has won 21 of last 25 World Series."

7. The Tri-City Americans have added F Devon McAndrews, 18, to their roster. They acquired his rights from the Medicine Hat Tigers a year ago for a conditional sixth-round 2014 bantam draft pick. . . . McAndrews has been with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound McAndrews had two assists and 27 penalty minutes in 13 games with the Saints this season, after getting 15 points, five of them goals, and 71 penalty minutes in 52 games last season. . . . "He’s a guy I identified over a year ago who I thought would help our team,” Bob Tory, the Americans' general manager, told Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald. "The fact he is coming now is good news for us. We are in a transition with our team. The ability to add a new players gives up depth and options to look at things in the future. Obviously we can’t carry 16 forwards when everyone is healthy, so it puts pressure on the players here to perform.” . . . Fowler adds that McAndrews' father, Stewart, was a linebacker with the U of Albert Golden Bears and played one season with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos.

JUST NOTES:
In Vancouver, F Alec Baer, 16, had a goal and two assists in the first period and the Giants went on to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . F Tim Traber got the winner at 2:04 of extra time. . . . The Giants, who led 3-0 in the first period, have won two in a row at home after an eight-game losing skein. . . .
In Regina, the Pats had a six-game winning streak snapped as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Raiders G Nick McBride, 16, stopped 42 shots to earn his first WHL victory in his second start. . . . G Mac Engel, 20, made his first start for the Pats. . . .
In Medicine Hat, the Portland Winterhawks ran their winning streak to six games with a 5-3 victory over the Tigers. . . . Portland F Shane McColgan, 20, who was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades over the summer, played his first game after offseason surgery. . . . Todd Vrooman, the radio voice of the Winterhawks, pointed out that there were 17 American-born players involved in this one -- 11 with Portland and six with Medicine Hat. . . .
The Edmonton Oil Kings opened an eight-game road swing with a 3-1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Oil Kings were without D Cody Corbett, D Dysin Mayo and D Griffin Reinhart, all out with undisclosed injuries.

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Andrej Kudrna (Vancouver, Red Deer, 2008-11) was assigned to Skalica (Slovakia, Extraliga) by Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, KHL) for the rest of this season. He has one goal in 13 games for Slovan and 10 goals and three assists in 18 games for Skalica this season. . . .


F Parker Stanfield (Prince George, Everett, 2007-11) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Poprad (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had six goals and seven assists in 33 games with the Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) this season. . . .


F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Zvolan (Slovakia, Extraliga) after obtaining his release from Most (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). He had six goals and 11 assists in 40 games with Most this season.


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The WHL’s pooh-bahs, no doubt somewhat played out from what has been a hectic schedule with lots of three-in-three and four-in-five stretches, are gathering in Las Vegas this weekend for two days of meetings that are to begin on Monday.
These aren’t shaping up as your normal run-of-the-mill, dog-days-of-February meetings, either.
No.
You may recall that it was in late November when the WHL hammered the Portland Winterhawks for what it called “a series of violations of WHL Regulations.”
The Winterhawks were banned from the first five rounds of the 2013 bantam draft, lost their first-round draft picks in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and had their general manager and head coach Mike Johnston suspended for the remainder of this season, including the playoffs. Oh, and the Winterhawks also were fined $200,000.
The Winterhawks have admitted to some violations but are of the opinion that the punishment far exceeds the crimes.
Apparently, there is no appeal process to decisions such as these within the WHL. But the Winterhawks, with owner Bill Gallacher planning to attend, are hoping to have their say in Las Vegas.
We will find out early next week, then, if this is one of those situations where what happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.
Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has more right here, including the fact that the Winterhawks have consulted legal counsel.
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While you’re waiting for that meeting to start, you may want to read this piece right here by Ken Goe of The Oregonian. It’s about Mike Johnston and a hospital visit he made more than a year ago. It’s interesting that very few people were aware of this until now.
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The WHL has posted a job opening for director, communications, the position presently filled by Cory Flett.
Here’s the job description:
“The WHL Director, Communications will be responsible to manage all aspects of the WHL Communications portfolio including media relations, the WHL website; social media platforms; WHL broadcast agreements and other media partnerships; WHL publications; WHL awards; the WHL results system and other special projects.”
All that for one person? Job must pay awfully well.
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If you look in on the Saskatoon Blades tonight — they are at home to the Swift Current Broncos — you will note that they are wearing new and different sweaters. Here’s how Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix described the sweaters as “featuring navy blue, royal blue and grey strips and a stylized ‘Blades’ logo where the ‘L’ is a hockey stick.” . . . These sweaters are the result of a contest in which fans were asked for design ideas. . . . Nugent-Bowman reports that there were 113 entries. Those were whittled down to five and then put to a fan vote. . . . The winning design is from Fabio Burà of Switzerland.
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Bliss Littler, the head coach of the NAHL’s Wentchee Wild, has drawn a five-game suspension and assistant coach Chris Clark is gone indefinitely. That is the fallout from Clark’s turn as a blindman during a recent game in Wenatchee.
Stephen Heisler of juniorhockey.com has more right here.

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An Associated Press story out of the Super Bowl in New Orleans begins like this:
“ It defies logic that there are now far more precautions taken to protect NFL players from head trauma than youth and high school football players, said several current or former NFL players speaking on behalf of a group advocating safer sports.”
That story is right here.
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Two former NFL players have undergone tests that “may have found a destructive protein called tau” in their brains.
What this means is that the science involving brains and concussions is progressing.
That story, written by CNN’s Stephanie Smith, is right here.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Regina, F Lane Scheidl scored twice and added an assist to help the Regina Pats to a 3-2 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . The Pats had lost eight straight. . . . Brandon has dropped four in a row. . . . Scheidl has 26 goals. . . . He broke a 2-2 tie at 17:28 of the third period. . . . F Jayce Hawryluk had both Brandon goals, giving him 13. . . . G Jordan Papirny, 16, the 22nd selection in the 2011 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings. They are without Corbin Boes (knee) and have been going with Curtis Honey. . . . Papirny stopped 21 shots and was returned to the midget AAA Edmonton-South Side Athletic Club Athletics after the game. . . .

In Moose Jaw, D Morgan Rielly drew four assists as the Warriors doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers, 8-4. . . . The teams combined for seven goals in the second period, with F Curtis Valk scoring three times for the Tires, two of them on the PP. . . . Moose Jaw emerged with a 5-3 lead. . . . Valk has 32 goals. . . . Moose Jaw F Bryson Gore, who went into the game with 10 points, had a goal, his seventh, and two assists. . . . The Warriors now have won four of five. . . .

In Saskatoon, G Andrey Markarov posted his WHL-leading sixth shutout as the Blades dumped the Calgary Hitmen, 6-0. . . . He has a franchise-record eight shutouts in his WHL career, having broken the record he had shared with Braden Holtby (2006-09). . . . Makarov made 42 saves as the Blades won their third in a row. He has allowed one goal in the three victories. . . . F Brenden Walker and F Nathan Burns each had two goals for Saskatoon. . . . The Hitmen are three games into a nine-game road swing. . . . F Brooks Macek of the Hitmen played in his 300th regular-season game. . . . Blades F Josh Nicholls scored his 33rd goal, to give him 286 career points. He had bee tied with Saskatoon associate coach David Struch for 12th on the Blades’ alltime list. . . . Saskatoon F Shane McColgan picked up two assists, giving him 250 career points. . . .

In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 23 shots as the Oil Kings beat the Swift Current Broncos, 3-0. . . . Brossoit has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . Edmonton has won seven in a row and leads the Eastern Conference standings by nine points over Calgary. . . . F Curtis Lazar scored the game’s first two goals, giving him 26. . . . The Oil Kings have won 13 of 15, blanking the opposition in six of those games. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes erased a 2-1 third-period deficit and beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2. . . . Lethbridge F Sam Mckechnie scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 11:24 of the third to tie the score. . . . F Russell Maxwell won it with his 19th goal at 17:09. . . . Mckechnie has 23 scores this season. . . .


In Kamloops, F Kale Kessy and F Colin Smith enjoyed five-point nights as the Blazers downed the Spokane Chiefs, 8-4. . . . Kessy had two goals and three assists in what was the first five-point game of his career. . . . Smith had a goal and four assists for his second five-point outing. . . . Smith also earned his 250th career point. . . . F Tim Bozon, the third member of that line, had two goals, giving him 31, and two assists. . . . F Mitch Holmberg had three goals for the Chiefs, giving him a career-high 30 on the season. He scored 27 last season. Holmberg also has a career-high in points (57), two more than he recorded last season. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram left the game at 8:45 of the second period. Unable to put weight on his left leg, he needed help getting off the ice and didn’t return. . . .

In Prince George, F Chase Witala scored three times to help the Cougars to a 6-2 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . Witala scored the Cougars’ first two goals, at which point he had scored his team’s previous five goals. . . . He has 14 goals this season, six of them in his last three games. . . . Cougars D Dallas Ehrhardt had a goal and two assists. . . . The Cougars were awarded two penalty shots in this one. F Colin Jacobs beat G Coleman Vollrath t 7:14 of the second period; F Jarrett Fontaine was foiled by G Patrik Polivka at 13:38 of the third. . . . The Royals were coming off a 6-1 loss to the Rockets in Kelowna on Thursday night. Not many teams play one night in Kelowna and the next night in Prince George. . . . The Cougars are without G Brett Zarowny (concussion), so had Ty Edmonds, 16, on the bench, backing up Mac Engel. Edmonds plays for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals. . . .

In Vancouver, F Colton Sissons scored twice and G Jackson Whistle stopped 32 shots as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Giants, 5-1. . . . Sissons broke a 1-1 tie at 3:19 of the first period. . . . After scoring those three early goals, the teams didn’t score again until Sissons got his 20th of the season at 2:42 of the third period. . . . Whistle was acquired by the Rockets from Giants on Sept. 7 for a 2014 third-round bantam draft pick. . . .

In Kent, Wash., F Ty Rattie had a goal and three assists as the Portland Winterhawks dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds (of Kent), 5-3. . . . Portland D Shaun MacPherson broke a 2-2 tie with his first WHL goal at 6:55 of the second period and Rattie upped the lead to 4-2, on the PP, at 17:55. . . . Portland F Nic Petan, who leads the WHL in scoring, got his 36th goal, and two assists, while F Brendan Leipsic also had a goal, his 34th, and two helpers. . . . Rattie is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . Portland was 3-10 on the PP; Seattle was 0-3. . . . Petan leads the WHL in goals, assists (57) and points (93). He has five points more than Leipsic and eight more than Kamloops F Colin Smith. . . .

In Everett, the Tri-City Americans scored twice in the circus and beat the Silvertips, 2-1. . . . F Malte Strömwall gave the Americans a 1-0 lead just 23 seconds into the first period. . . . F Logan Aasman pulled Everett even at 4:25 of the third. . . . F Justin Feser and Strömwall scored shootout goals to win it. . . . With G Austin Lotz (foot) out, the Silvertips had Nik Amundrud, 15, on the bench in support of starter Daniel Cotton. Amundrud was a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. He is playing with the midget AAA Tisdale, Sask., Trojans.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon
F Greg Chase, Calgary
D Mathew Dumba, Red Deer
F Alexander Delnov, Seattle
F Justin Gutierrez, Tri-City

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Adam Lowry, Swift Current
F Ben Walker, Victoria
———
TWEET OF THE DAY:
From F Cody Fowlie (@Fowls11) of the Kelowna Rockets: “Just got a hug from Joe Sakic. I literally almost cried. #isthisreallife? #burnabyjoe #newbestbud”

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jonas Johansson (Kamloops, 2002-04) signed a one-year contract with Alleghe (Italy, Serie A). He had 21 goals and 26 assists in 41 games with Cortina (Italy, Serie A) last season. . . .
D Deryk Engelland (Moose Jaw, 1998-2003) signed a lockout contract with Rosenborg (Norway, GET-Ligaen). He had four goals and 13 assists in 73 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Rosenborg's press release notes that Engelland is drawing no salary from the club. Rosenborg is covering only his insurance premiums, travel expenses, and accommodations in Norway. Engelland is scheduled to arrive in Rosenborg on Monday. . . .
F Dale Weise (Swift Current, 2005-08) signed a lockout contract with the Tilburg Trappers (Netherlands, Eredivisie). He had four goals and four assists in 68 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season. . . .
F Jesse Schultz (Tri-City, Prince Albert, Kelowna, 1999-2003) was released by Milan Rossoblu (Italy, Serie A). He had two goals and two assists in eight games with Milan this season. No reason was given by the club for the release. . . .
D Tyler Myers (Kelowna, 2005-09) signed a lockout contract with Klagenfurt (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had eight goals and 15 assists in 55 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season. Myers is
scheduled to arrive in Austria on Tuesday. Klagenfurt's director of hockey operations is former Prince Albert Raiders and Minnesota North Stars D Emanuel Viveiros, father of Portland D Layne Viveiros. . . .
F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) was released at the end of his try-out contract with Most (Czech Republic, 1.Liga). He had four assists in 10 games during his try-out. Last season, Curilla had one goal in seven games with Slovan Ustecti Lvi (Czech Republic 1.Liga) and eight goals and nine assists in 41 games on loan to Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga).
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A story from the press box that illustrates what today’s junior hockey coaches are up against. . . .
Someone from the visiting team always comes into the press box about 90 minutes before game time and sets up a laptop computer that is hooked into the home team’s video gear.
At one game in Kamloops this season, one of the visiting team’s assistant coaches was doing just that when he discovered that he was going to need a power bar in order to get plugged into the nearest electrical outlet.
Just then, one of the players who was scratched from the lineup walked into the press box.
The assistant coach promptly asked the player to return to the dressing room area and bring back a power bar.
And that, said the assistant coach, would be an electrical power bar, not the PowerBar that you eat.
A nearby reporter digested that and burst out laughing.
Don’t laugh, offered the assistant coach, admitting that at a previous game he had requested a power bar and been presented with a PowerBar.
Ahh, the challenges of coaching in today’s game!
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You will recall reading here yesterday that, according to the online scoresheet, Seattle Thunderbirds F Brendan Rouse had been credited with three goals in a 6-4 victory over the host Vancouver Giants on Friday night.
But a news release from the Thunderbirds indicated that Rouse had scored twice, with the other goal going to Luke Lockhart.
Well, if you click right here and scroll down a few pictures, you will see Lockhart’s goal. No idea how that could end up being credited to Rouse. (As of 1:30 a.m. PT, Rouse still had three goals on the online scoresheet.)
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SATURDAY’S STUFF:
The Tri-City Americans opened their six-game East Division swing with a 4-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Tri-City F Jesse Mychan (bruised thigh) returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 29 and drew two assists. . . . Tri-City F Lukas Walter, who didn’t score in 49 games last season, scored his first WHL goal in his eighth game this season. . . . The Wheat Kings lost three games to visiting U.S. Division teams in an eight-day span, as they also lost to the Portland Winterhawks (2-1) and Everett Silvertips (3-2, OT). . . . The Wheat Kings (5-3-1) leave Monday on a seven-game swing into the Western Conference. . . . The Americans are in Moose Jaw tonight, where they have won four straight . . . .

The Calgary Hitmen scored the game’s last three goals and beat the visiting Red Deer Rebels, 4-2. . . . Calgary F Cody Sylvester tied the game 2-2 at 12:39 of the second period on a PP and got the winner at 10:54 of the third. He’s got seven goals. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 17 shots in earning his first WHL victory. . . . This result sets up this afternoon’s game between the only two teams who have yet to lose in regulation time. The Kamloops Blazers (7-0-1) will meet the Hitmen (6-0-2) in Calgary today. . . . The Blazers (.938) and Hitmen (.875) also own the WHL’s top two winning percentages. . . .

F Brett Stovin scored three times as the Saskatoon Blades snapped a five-game losing streak, winning 5-2 over the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . These were Stovin’s first goals this season. He had 13 in 69 games last season. . . . Saskatoon F Travis McEvoy had three assists. . . . Saskatoon enjoyed its first two-goal lead of the season. . . . Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower was ejected for a check to the head of Lethbridge D Axel Blomqvist. . . .

F Sam Fioretti scored three times as the Moose Jaw Warriors whipped the visiting Prince Albert Raiders, 9-0. . . . G Daniel Wapple stopped 32 shots for his first WHL shutout. . . . Fioretti has a WHL-leading 10 goals, one more than Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Fioretti, who also had two assists, has two WHL hat tricks, both in the last two weeks. . . . Fioretti has 17 points, one behind F JC Lipon of the Kamloops Blazers, who leads the WHL with 18. . . . Moose Jaw F Tanner Eberle (shoulder) played in his first game this season. . . . Moose Jaw D Morgan Rielly had five assists and was plus-5. . . . Moose Jaw D Kendall McFaull was pointless and plus-5. . . . Prince Albert F Tim Vanstone picked up a match penalty for attempt to injury at 13:31 of the first. . . . The Raiders have followed a seven-game winning streak with two straight losses. . . .

The Steph/venson boys struck late to carry the Regina Pats to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips. . . . F Colton Stephenson scored at 13:35 of the third period on a PP to forge a 3-3 tie. . . . F Dyson Stevenson scored at 14:41 for the victory. . . . Everett led this one 3-1 midway through the second period. . . . Regina F Dryden Hunt was shaken up after taking a hit to head from Everett F Lucas Grayson who was tossed. . . . Hunt, who was playing in his second game after returning from a concussion, left the game and didn’t return. . . . Regina G Teagan Sacher stopped 21 shots in earning his first WHL victory. . . .

F Ty Rattie struck for four goals to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 6-3 victory over the host Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Winterhawks went 4-1-1 on their East Division swing. . . . Rattie, who has seven goals, also drew on assist. . . . The Winterhawks improved to 7-3-1 and moved into a tie for first in the Western Conference with the idle Kamloops Blazers. Kamloops holds three games in hand as it opens a Central Division swing in Calgary today. . . . Portland G Brendan Burke stopped 28 shots, with Mac Carruth on the bench as the backup. . . .

F Boston Leier drew four assists to help the host Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Prince George Cougars, 7-2. . . . Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk scored his fifth goal — it stood up as the winner — on his 18th birthday. . . .

F Colin Valcourt scored three times in the third period to lead the Spokane Chiefs to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. . . . Spokane F Mitch Holmberg, who had a six-game scoring streak snapped Friday in a 5-1 loss in Kamloops, drew three assists. . . . Spokane F Dylan Walchuk also had three assists. . . . The Giants slipped to 2-7-0 and have the WHL’s poorest winning percentage (.222). . . .

G Coleman Vollrath made 30 saves for his first WHL victory as the host Victoria Royals beat the Kelowna Rockets, 3-2. . . . It was Vollrath’s first career start. . . . Vollrath is one of three goaltenders on the Royals’ roster, along with Czeck Partik Polivka and Jared Rathjen. . . . The Royals scored the game’s last two goals, with D Jesse Zgraggen’s first goal tying it at 6:16 of the third and F Ben Walker winning it on a PP at 17:44. . . . Walker scored twice and added an assist. . . . Zgraggen, 19, went into the game with three goals in 134 regular-season games. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges (undisclosed) missed his eighth straight game. . . . The Rockets were without F Zach Franko, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Friday’s 4-1 victory over the Royals.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Tim Vanstone, Prince Albert (match, intent to injure)
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon
D Kyle Burroughs, Regina

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
D Dalton Thrower, Saskatoon (major)
F Lucas Grayson, Everett (major)
F Ryan Olsen, Kelowna (major)
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
Former Kamloops Blazers F Ryan Hanes (@HANESR13), now with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals: “Holy smokes, I love to see @_JLipon on the top of the leading board in the whole WHL! Get him to the show, ima live in guesthouse #beauty.”
Hanes leads the Capitals in goals (8) and points (12) in 11 games.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Jason Beckett (Seattle, 1997-2000) signed a one-year contract with Kallinge/Ronneby (Sweden, Division 1). He had one goal and five assists in 39 games with Jesenice (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) last season. Beckett was introduced to the local media Friday and is expected to be in the lineup for Sunday's game. . . .
F Codey Burki (Brandon, 2002-07) has been assigned on loan by Lugano (Switzerland, NL A) to La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland, NL B). He had seven goals and five assists in four games on loan to Thurgau (Switzerland, NL B) last season. The loan agreement is on a game-by-game basis. Lugano says that Burki is awaiting Swiss citizenship. . . .
F Marek Curilla (Kootenay, Medicine Hat, 2005-06) has been assigned on loan by Slovan Ustecti Lvi (Czech Republic, 1.Liga) to Zvolen (Slovakia, Extraliga) until Oct. 31. He had 15 goals and 11
assists in 40 games for Slovan last season and was pointless in three games thus far this season. . . .
G Ville Kolppanen (Lethbridge, 2009-10) has signed a two-year contract extension with Ilves Tampere (Finland, SM-Liiga). He was recalled from loan to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland, Mestis), and assigned on loan to Snezhnye Barsy Astana (Kazakhstan, Russia MHL, the top Russian junior league) until the end of January. He had allowed two goal in two games with a .969 save percentage for LeKi this season. Last season, Kolppanen had a 2.89 GAA and a .903 save percentage in 19 games for Ilves A-Juniors (Finland, A-Junior SM-Liiga). The contract extension runs through the 2013-14 season.
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There are a lot of great people in hockey and Glen Hanlon, the Vancouver Giants’ assistant coach, is one of them.
So it was great to chat with him before the Giants game in Kamloops on Friday night.
He also is one of hockey’s great story tellers.
He said he got quite a chuckle one day when a Giants player asked him if he had gone to the NHL draft when he was eligible to be selected.
“Yeah,” Hanlon said. “I went to the Brandon Sun and spent the draft hunched over the teletype machine watching for my name.”
He didn’t have to wait too long. He was selected in the third round, 40th overall of the NHL’s 1977 draft. He also was a third-round pick in the WHA draft, taken 30th overall, by the Houston Aeros.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers got three goals from F Emerson Etem on Friday as they beat the Oil Kings 5-3 in Edmonton. It was the fourth time in his career that Etem has scored at least three goals in a game. However, it was the first time he has done it since his freshman season. That season, he scored 37 times, including two-three-goal games and a four-goal effort. Last season, Etem struck for 45 goals but never scored more than two goals in a game, something he did on 10 occasions. Etem now has 149 points, including 86 goals, in 139 career regular-season games. . . . The Oil Kings drew 7,273 fans to their home-opener. . . .
F Max Reinhart had two goals and two assists to lead the host Kootenay Ice to a 5-2 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . It was Regina’s first loss in four games this season. The Pats hadn’t started 3-0 since 1984-85. . . . It was the fifth time Reinhart has had at least four points in a game. Last season, he enjoyed a five-point outing and two four-point games. . . . Regina got a shorthanded goal from D Brandon Underwood, who now has two scores in four games this season. He went into the season with two career goals in 149 regular-season games with the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Ice also got a goal and two helpers from F Dylen McKinlay, an offseason acquisition from the Victoria Royals. . . .
Morgan Rielly, one of the WHL’s bumper crop of defencemen, helped the Warriors to a 6-5 shootout victory over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. The Warriors trailed 5-3 when Rielly scored at 16:50 of the third period and then drew the lone assist on a PP goal by F Sebastian Svendsen at 19:14. Rielly then scored the shootout goal that ended the game. . . . F Brandon Herrod had two goals and two assists for the Raiders. It was the second four-point night of his career, the first since 2009-10. . . . Attendance in Moose Jaw was 3,545. . . .
In Prince George, G Keith Hamilton stopped 48 shots through overtime as the Victoria Royals went on to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Cougars. . . . Neither of Prince George’s two shootout participants was able to beat Hamilton, who also came out the winner on a second-period penalty shot by F Tayler Thompson. . . . Attendance in Prince George was 4,530. . . . On Sept. 24, Hamilton made 48 saves as the Royals beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 4-3. . . . The Royals acquired Hamilton, a 19-year-old from Kelowna, from the Portland Winterhawks over the summer. . . .
The Swift Current Broncos won for the first time in four games, beating the Wheat Kings 5-4 in a shootout. . . . That left the Broncos at 1-2-1. . . . Brandon now is 0-2 at home. . . . The Broncos, who were without F Dillon Wagner (knee), lost F Andy Blanke, who left after a first-period scrap with Brandon F Michael Ferland. . . . Brandon had F Brenden Walker in the lineup for the first time since he suffered an concussion in a playoff game against the Medicine Hat Tigers last spring. . . .
In Portland, G Ty Rimmer improved to 2-0 as the Tri-City Americans beat the Winterhawks, 4-1. Rimmer stopped 32 shots as the Americans moved to 3-0 for the second straight season. . . . Tri-City meets the Chiefs in Spokane tonight.
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JUST NOTES: The U of Calgary Dinos and the WHL announced Friday the creation of the Ed Chynoweth Memorial Hockey Award. It wwill go annually to a former WHL player who is attending the U of Calgary and playing for the Dinos. . . . If you’re a long-time hockey fan, you may remember hearing about Sven Tumba, or Sven Johansson, as he was born. The Swedish hockey star also was known to some as Tumba Johansson. Tumba, who was one of the first Europeans to skate in an NHL training camp, died today in Stockholm. He was in camp with the Boston Bruins back in the day. There’s more on Tumba right here.
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Ken Dryden, who knows a thing or two about hockey and about writing, has put fingers to keyboard and come up with a brilliant piece about headshots in sports. It you haven’t already seen it, it is right here, and it is only the best piece written on this subject to date. Dryden’s piece explains better than anything else I have seen exactly why headshots -- intentional, accidental and incidental -- and fighting must be taken out of the game of hockey, and why it has to happen now. Not tomorrow. Right now.
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Ken Dryden and Globe and Mail columnist Roy MacGregor are preparing for an online discussion on “why we need to rethink hockey.” It will begin Monday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT).
For more info, click right here.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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