Yep, seems right. #mbstorm #brrrr #TOstorm #winning pic.twitter.com/xZUWuqqGWs— Town of Lynn Lake (@TownOfLynnLake) December 17, 2016
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TAKING NOTE
We are into the second-last Saturday before the big day. To get you calm and into the right frame of mind before you tackle the hustle and bustle, right here is Celine Dion with . . . O Holy Night.
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F Marek Tvrdoň (Vancouver, Kelowna, 2010-14) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Nitra (Slovakia, Extraliga). This seasdon, he had seven goals and five assists in 21 games with the Indy Fuel (ECHL). He is from Nitra.
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A grandfather sits at the kitchen table, his 12-year-old grandson seated across from him.
“Little man,” Grandpa says, “I want to talk to you about . . . new math . . . and hockey statistics. It’s important that you know these things if you are going to be a WHL fan.
“In their last 14 visits to Kent, Wash., the home of the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Prince George Cougars are 12-2-0-0. That means they have won 12 games and lost twice.
“But . . . and it’s a big but . . . now pay attention . . . at the same time, in those same 13 games, the Thunderbirds are 2-7-1-4.
“That means the Thunderbirds have won twice and lost seven times in regulation time, lost one more game in overtime and lost four more in shootouts.
“It also means that nine of the games were worth two points each, with the other five worth three points apiece. But even though five of them were three-pointers, not one team got three points for a victory — in regulation time, overtime or a shootout.
“In the end, the Cougars came out of those 14 games with 24 points and the Thunderbirds, despite winning only two of 13 in regulation time, emerged with nine points.
“Understand? Got it?”
“Understand? Got it?”
The grandson arches an eyebrow.
“Grandpa,” he says, “let’s go play Minecraft . . . or we can see what‘s on Netflix.”
(A tip of the cap to TBird Tidbits (@TbirdTidbits) for the inspiration. LOL!)
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The Brandon Wheat Kings improved their record to 14-14-4 with a 3-2 shootout victory over the visiting Saskatoon Blades on Friday night.
In this world of loser points, where some games end up being worth three points and others two, the Wheat Kings now are a .500 team — they have 32 points from 32 games.
That means the WHL now has 17 of its 22 teams at .500 or better.
If you simply go by wins and losses, the Wheat Kings are 14-18 and one of 10 teams to have lost more games than they have won.
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Cam Cole, who was one of the best wordsmiths in Canadian sporting journalism, walked out the Postmedia door for the last time on Friday. His farewell column, like all of his writing, is well worth a read, and it’s right here.
Cole couldn’t say goodbye without leaving a message, either.
“More and more aspects of the games themselves — coaches’ challenges, lockouts, concussions, doping, the Department of Player Safety — have been telling me for a while now that it’s time to go,” he writes. “Also, Twitter trolls. Sports was never meant to be this angry.”
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JUST NOTES:
F Ryley Appelt, 16, may make his WHL debut with the Kamloops Blazers in Cranbrook, B.C., on Saturday night against the Kootenay Ice. Appelt has been with the Blazers since Wednesday. Appelt, 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, had three goals and 10 assists in 14 games with the Northern Alberta X-Treme Midget Prep team. Kamloops selected the Edmonton native in the fourth round of the 2015 WHL bantam draft.
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#CHL: Nearing respective trade deadlines, should be noted that since Aug. 15, 29 trades in @OHLHockey, 32 in @QMJHL and 55 in @TheWHL.— Geoffrey Brandow (@GeoffreyBrandow) December 16, 2016
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:
He's made it! Santa has arrived from the North Pole for tonight's #TeddyBearToss @Keystone_Centre Puck drop at 7:30pm pic.twitter.com/1sJkofS38V— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) December 17, 2016
At Brandon, F Reid Duke and F Tyler Coulter scored shootout goals as the Wheat Kings beat the
Saskatoon Blades, 3-2. . . . Duke had forced OT when he scored his 18th goal, on a PP, at 16:28 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Markson Bechtold, in his first game with the Blades since being acquired Wednesday from the Spokane Chiefs, opened the scoring at 17:11 of the first period. He’s got six goals. . . . Brandon F Linden McCorrister’s first goal of the season, at 17:47, tied it 1-1 and was the Teddy Bear Goal. McCorrister was playing his first game since Oct. 21. . . . The Blades went in front 2-1 at 3:05 of the second period when F Lukus MacKenzie scored No. 4. . . . G Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots for Brandon, one more than Saskatoon’s Brock Hamm. . . . Brandon was 1-8 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-5. . . . This was Brandon’s first home game since Nov. 23. The Wheat Kings went 1-6-1 on a road trip that included five games in the B.C. Division. . . . The Wheat Kings have won three of four games with the Blades this season. Meanwhile, Saskatoon has lost eight straight in Brandon. . . . The Wheat Kings (14-14-4) had lost their previous six games (0-5-1). . . . The Blades (13-18-4) have points in four straight (2-0-2). . . . Brandon holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot; the Blades now are two points off the pace. . . . The same two teams will meet tonight in Saskatoon. . . . Announced attendance: 5,190.
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| LINDEN McCORRISTER |
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At Edmonton, the Oil Kings jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead en route to a 4-3 victory over the
Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Ty Gerla (2), back after a three-game absence, got the home team started at 2:37 and F Nick Bowman (4) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 16:08. . . . The Hurricanes would get to within one on three occasions but never were able to equalize. . . . F Ryley Lindgren (12) made it 2-1 at 12:32 of the second period. . . . Edmonton F Davis Koch (10) got that one back at 2:33 of the third period. . . . The Hurricanes closed to within one, again, when F Ryan Bowen got his eighth at 12:49. . . . D Anatolii Elizarov’s fourth goal, at 14:40, proved to be the winner after Lethbridge F Tyler Wong got his 21st goal at 17:12. . . . F Tyler Robertson had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Wong and Bowen each had assists for Lethbridge. . . . G Patrick Dea earned the victory with 20 saves, seven fewer than Lethbridge’s Stuart Skinner. . . . The Hurricanes were 1-4 on the PP; the Oil Kings were 1-5. . . . Edmonton (16-15-3) is 2-0-1 in its last three games. . . . Lethbridge (18-12-5) had gone 13 games (11-0-2) without losing in regulation time. . . . Announced attendance: 7,419.
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| ANATOLII ELIZAROV |
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At Everett, the Silvertips scored the game’s last four goals, three of them via the PP, as they beat the Tri-
City Americans, 4-1. . . . F Morgan Geekie gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal, at 5:31 of the first period. . . . Everett F Riley Sutterr (11) tied it, on a PP, at 9:22. F Graham Millar (8) put the home boys out front, on another PP, at 11:03. . . . Everett put it away with two third-period goals, F Patrick Bajkov getting his 17th, on a PP, at 1:39, and F Devon Skoleski (4) rounding out the scoring at 8:38. . . . D Kevin Davis had two assists for the winners, with Millar getting one. . . . G Mario Petit blocked 22 shots for the Silvertips, while Tr-City’s Evan Sarthou stopped 43. . . . Everett was 3-9 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-2. . . . The Silvertips (23-4-5) have won two in a row and remain one point behind the Prince George Cougars, who are atop the overall standings. The Medicine Hat Tigers are one point behind Everett, with the Regina Pats two points in arrears of the Silvertips. . . Tri-City (19-14-3) has lost three straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,211.
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| KEVIN DAVIS |
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40 - Picking up the helper on Quenneville's goal, @tigershockey Mason Shaw is the first WHL'er to reach 40 assists this season— WHL Facts (@WHLFacts) December 17, 2016
At Medicine Hat, F Mason Shaw broke a 3-3 tie with 46.3 seconds left in the third period as the Tigers
beat the Kamloops Blazers, 5-3. . . . Shaw then added his 11th goal into an empty net at 19:46. . . . The Blazers’ three previous games all had gone to OT and this one appeared headed there until a shot by Medicine Hat D David Quenneville rebounded off the end boards and into the crease area. Shaw somehow got his stick on it and directed it toward the net. Apparently, the referees didn't signal a goal on the ice, but the play went to video review and a goal was awarded. . . . D Dan Gatenby gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his first WHL goal, at 4:07 of the first period. Gatenby’s goal came in his 38th career game — 22 last season with the Kelowna Rockets and 22 this season with the Blazers. . . . The Tigers scored the next three goals, the first two via the PP. . . . Quenneville tied it at 10:15. Quenneville has 18 goals in 33 games. He went into the season with 20 goals in 131 regular-season games. . . . F Mark Rassell (16) gave the Tigers their first lead, at 8:14 of the second period. . . . F Chad Butcher, who is from Kamloops, got his 16th goal to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead at 11:30. . . . F Jackson Shepard (3) pulled the Blazers to within a goal at 11:53. . . . Kamloops tied it when F Rudolfs Balcers scored his 20th goal 40 seconds into the third period. . . . Quenneville, D Brad Forrest and F Matt Bradley each had two assists for the Tigers, with Shaw and Butcher adding one each. . . . Butcher now leads the WHL points race, with 52, one more than Shaw. . . . The Tigers got 34 saves from G Nick Schneider, who leads the WHL with 22 victories. . . . G Dylan Ferguson stopped 47 shots at the other end. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-7 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-7. . . . The Tigers (24-10-1) have won three in a row. . . . The Blazers (20-13-2) had been 6-0-1 in their previous seven games. They are 3-1-1 on a six-game Central Division swing that ends tonight when they meet the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C. . . . Announced attendance: 3,165.
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| NICK SCHNEIDER |
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I think Regina's okay with Steel and Wagner getting cut by HC https://t.co/NHvdKVWgUR #justsaying— Brandon Rivers (@hodgesheroes) December 17, 2016
At Moose Jaw, the Warriors surrendered a 2-0 lead then scored the game’s last three goals to beat the
Regina Pats, 5-4. . . . F Tristan Lang’s second goal of the season broke a 4-4 tie at 13:11 of the second period. . . . Goals by F Nikita Popugaev (21) and F Noah Gregor at 0:36 and 6:48 of the first period put the Warriors out front. . . . The Pats took a 4-2 lead before the period ended, as F Luc Smith, who has seven goals, scored twice, at 10:39 and 11:04, F Sam Steel added his 22nd, at 14:12, and F Dawson Leedahl (13) struck at 14:39. . . . Gregor’s 19th goal cut into the deficit 12 seconds into the second period. . . . F Brayden Burke’s sixth goal, on a PP, at 12:10, tied the game. That ran his point streak to 11 games. He has points in all of the 12 games he has played with Moose Jaw since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In those 11 games, he has two goals and 16 assists. . . . Gregor added an assist to his two goals, while Popugaev added two assists to his goal. F Brett Howden also had two helpers. . . . Regina D Chase Harrison had two assists in his return after missing five games with a concussion, while Steel added one. . . . Moose Jaw F Jayden Halbgewachs was held pointless as his 10-game goal streak ended. . . . The Warriors got 33 saves from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown turned aside 24 shots in his 10th straight start. Jordan Hollett, the Pats’ other goaltender, is injured. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-5 on the PP; Regina was 0-3. . . . The Warriors (20-7-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Pats (21-3-6) had points in their previous eight games (5-0-3). . . . The Warriors closed to within three points of the East Division-leading Pats, who hold two games in hand. The teams will clash again tonight, this time in Regina. . . . Announced attendance: 4,085.
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| NOAH GREGOR |
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Sutter "Weren't good at all for 40 minutes. No jump. No emotion... our team game wasn't there tonight" #Rebelshockey #WHL— Troy Gillard (@Troy_Gillard) December 17, 2016
At Red Deer, G Brodan Salmond recorded his first WHL shutout with a 34-save performance as the
Kelowna Rockets beat the Rebels, 3-0. . . . Salmond, an 18-year-old from Calgary, is 5-4-0, 3.08, .892 in 11 appearances as he backs up Michael Herringer. . . . F Nolan Foote’s seventh goal, on a PP, at 3:38 of the first period, was all Salmond needed in this one. . . . F Erik Gardiner scored his first goal with the Rockets, a shorthanded effort, at 0:55 of the second period and F Kole Lind added insurance with No. 19 at 5:11. Lind is on a 12-game point streak. . . . Gardiner, who was acquired from the Regina Pats in a deal that had D Jonathan Smart go the other way, also had an assist. A 17-year-old from Humboldt, he had one assist in two games with Regina last season and was pointless in two games this season. He has been playing with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. . . . The Rebels got 29 saves from G Riley Lamb. . . . Kelowna was 1-6 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (20-12-2) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . Red Deer (16-13-6) had points in its previous five games (3-0-2). . . . The Rockets are 3-1-1 as a seven-game road trip rolls on. They will play in Calgary tonight and Edmonton on Sunday. . . . Announced attendance: 4,355.
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| BRODAN SALMOND |
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At Kent, Wash., the Prince George Cougars took a 3-1 lead into the third period and went on to beat the
Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. . . . F Colby McAuley gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with his 13th goal, just 56 seconds into the game. . . . Seattle tied it on F Scott Eansor’s 16th goal, at 13:18. . . . The Cougars took the lead with two second-period goals. F Brad Morrison got his 15th goal, at 6:57, and F Yan Khomenko scored No. 10, on a PP, at 10:13. . . . Seattle F Keegan Kolesar wasn’t able to beat G Nick McBride on a third-period penalty shot with the Cougars leading 3-1. . . . That became a key play when F Nolan Volcan (12), who also had an assist, scored for Seattle at 18:56. . . . Morrison and Khomenko added an assist each. Khomenko, who is from St. Petersburg, Russia, has 10 goals and eight assists in 32 games. Last season, he finished with five goals and three assists in 46 games with the Everett Silvertips. . . . McBride finished with 25 saves. . . . Seattle got 31 stops from G Rylan Toth. . . . Prince George was 1-3 on the PP; Seattle was 0-2. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle (undisclosed injury) was among Prince George’s scratches. He suffered an undisclosed injury in the third period of a 5-3 victory over the visiting Tri-City Americans on Wednesday. . . . The Cougars (25-8-2) have won four straight. . . . The Thunderbirds (16-13-3) have lost three in a row. . . . F Tyler Adams, acquired Thursday from the Swift Current Broncos, was in Seattle’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 3,444.
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| YAN KHOMENKO |
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At Swift Current, F Aleksi Heponiemi broke a 1-1 tie at 14:22 of the second period and the Broncos went
on to beat the Prince Albert Raiders, 4-1. . . . D Sahvan Khaira’s first goal gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead at 19:40 of the first period. . . . F Carson Miller (2) tied it for the Raiders at 6:42 of the second period. . . . Heponiemi snapped the tie with his ninth goal. . . . F Ryan Graham (11) added insurance, at 7:48 of the third period, and F Lane Pederson got his 15th into an empty net at 19:13. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen had three assists for the Broncos, with Heponiemi, Pederson and Khaira getting one each. . . . Swift Current got 20 saves from G Travis Child. . . . G Nic Sanders stopped 37 shots for the Raiders. . . . Prince Albert was 1-3 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-4. . . . The Broncos (17-10-7) have points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Raiders (7-25-2) have lost two in a row. . . . The Broncos are 4-0-0 against the Raiders this season, with the teams set to meet again tonight in Prince Albert. . . . Announced attendance: 2,027.
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| SAHVAN KHAIRA |
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Kelly Buchberger, @EdmontonOilers VP of player development, is at @LangleyEvents tonight to watch draft pick Tyler Benson. @WHLGiants— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) December 17, 2016
At Langley, B.C., F Tyler Benson drew three assists to lead the Vancouver Giants to a 6-4 victory over the
Portland Winterhawks. . . . F James Malm, who is from Langley, scored the Teddy Bear Goal for a 1-0 lead at 3:34 of the first period. . . . F Owen Hardy made it 2-0 with his first goal, just 25 seconds later. . . . Portland F Evan Weinger cut into the lead with his 12th goal, at 6:12. . . . Vancouver F Thomas Foster, who had two goals, extended the lead to 3-1, on a PP, at 10:49. . . . The Giants took that 3-1 lead into the third period where they erupted for three goals. . . . D Matt Barberis (6) scored at 2:07; Foster got his ninth at 4:25; and D Jeff Rayman got his first goal at 12:00. . . . The Winterhawks got two late goals from F Alex Overhardt (5) and F Skyler McKenzie (22). . . . The Giants got two assists from F Ty Ronning, while Hardy added one. . . . F Ryan Hughes had two assists for Portland. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 31 shots for the winners. . . . Portland starter Cole Kehler was beaten five times on 29 shots in 44:25. Michael Bullion finished up, allowing a goal on two shots in 13:37. . . . Portland was 1-4 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-7. . . . The Winterhawks had F Ty Westgard in their lineup. He had one goal in two games with the Victoria Royals earlier in the season. Portland acquired him on Nov. 16 for a conditional 10th-round selection in the 2019 bantam draft. . . . The Giants (12-18-3) had lost their previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The Winterhawks now are 19-15-1. . . . Announced attendance: 4,328.
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| TYLER BENSON |
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Kelowna at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Regina, 7 p.m.
Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Prince George at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
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TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:
Dec. 16: F Linden McCorrister, 17:47 1st period, Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (SO).
Dec. 16: F James Malm, 3:34 1st period, Portland 4 vs. Vancouver 6, at Langley, B.C.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Brandon at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Portland at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: Vancouver at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3.
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
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In Brandon, F Jayce Hawryluk, who spent Wednesday and Thursday nights in hospital, had a goal and an assist as the Wheat Kings dumped the Regina Pats 5-1 to sweep a first-round series. . . . The Wheat Kings will meet the Eastern Conference-winning Edmonton Oil Kings in the second round. . . . Hawryluk scored three times and added an assist in Wednesday’s 5-4 victory, after which he experienced light-headedness and respiratory problems. He was taken to Brandon Regional Health Centre by ambulance and spent Thursday undergoing tests, all of which were negative. . . . Hawryluk’s line enjoyed another solid night Friday, as John Quenneville had two goals and an assist, and Jesse Gabrielle had one of each. . . . Brandon took a 2-0 lead into the second period, on goals by Gabrielle, his third, and F Richard Nejezchleb, his second. . . . Regina got on the board when F Morgan Klimchuk got his third of the series, this one on a PP, with 1.6 seconds left in the second period. . . . The Wheaties put it away with third-period goals by Hawryluk, his fifth in four games, F Ryley Lindgren and Quenneville, the latter on a PP. . . . Brandon was 1-for-7 on the PP; Regina was 1-for-3. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny stopped 28 shots, while Regina G Daniel Wapple turned aside 37. . . . F Peter Quenneville was back in Brandon’s lineup after a one-game absence. He was held pointless. . . . “I was able to recover and get some fluids and whatnot into me,” Hawryluk told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “I’m ready to play and I want to play. I want to be out here as much as anything . . . I want to be here and help the guys no matter what the situation. They’re my brothers and I just want to be here for them if I can.”
In Everett, F Jujhar Khaira scored three times as the Silvertips staved off elimination with a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle holds a 3-1 lead in the series as it returns to Kent, Wash., for Game 5 tonight. . . . Khaira, who scored his first three playoff goals, is coming off a regular-season in which he scored 16 times in 59 games. . . . Khaira opened the scoring at 1:27 of the first period as Everett scored first for the third straight game. . . . It was 2-0 just 1:05 later as F Josh Winquist added his first goal of the series, shorthanded. . . . F Brayden Low got his first goal of the series at 7:57 and Everett took a 3-0 lead into the second period. . . . Everett scored three times on its first six shots. . . . D Jared Hauf scored for Seattle at 18:22 of the second period. . . . Khaira put it away with two PP goals early in the third. . . . Everett G Austin Lotz made 17 saves. . . . Seattle starter Taran Kozun was beaten six times on 29 shots. Danny Mumaugh came on after Everett’s sixth goal, at 6:48 of the third, and stopped five shots. . . . Everett D Cole MacDonald left in the second period with an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. . . . F Jaimen Yakubowski was among Seattle’s scratches, as he served a one-game WHL suspension for a hit from behind on Everett D Noah Juulsen in Game 3. . . . Juulsen left Game 3 and didn’t return. He was scratched last night. . . . Everett had lost its previous nine home playoff games. . . . 
In Kelowna, F Marek Tvrdon scored twice to help the Rockets to a 4-1 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . The Rockets won the series, 4-1, and will meet the winner of the Seattle/Everett series in the second round. . . . The Americans, trailing 2-1, had a number of terrific scoring chances early in the third period but weren’t able to beat Kelowna G Jordon Cooke, who finished with 29 saves. . . . Tvrdon relieved the pressure with a PP goal, his fourth of the series, at 13:24. . . . Kelowna F Rourke Chartier iced it at 14:40 with his third goal in five games. . . . F Carter Rigby, at 6:56 of the first, and Tvrdon, at 13:05 of the second, had given Kelowna a 2-0 lead. . . . Americans F Parker Bowles got his first goal of the series, at 17:42 of the second, on a PP. . . . F Nick Merkley had two assists for Kelowna. . . . The Rockets were 1-for-2 on the PP; the Americans were 1-for-4. . . . Kelowna was without F Myles Bell, its leading regular-season scorer, with 77 points, including a team-high 42 goals. He was in the crowd, with crutches, after being injured in a Game 4 collision with Tri-City F Beau McCue. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie stopped 34 shots. He is expected to join the St. John’s IceCaps, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Comrie was a second-round pick by the Jets in the NHL’s 2013 draft. . . . “This was (Tvrdon’s) best game,” Rockets head coach Ryan Huska told Doyle Potenteau of the Okanagan Saturday. “He seemed like he was engaged all night. And when you look at your older players, you need that from him. Tonight, we saw that, if not our best player, then him and (goalie Jordon Cooke). Our two 20-year-olds were our best guys on the ice.”
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The Minnesota Wild announced Saturday morning that it has signed F Brady Brassart of the Calgary Hitmen to a three-year entry-level contract. . . . Brassart, 20, was an undrafted free agent. . . . This season, Brassart, who is from Vernon, B.C., has 75 points, including 33 goals. . . . In 315 career regular-season games, he has 259 points, including 110 goals. . . . Brassart was a second-round selection by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2008 bantam draft. On Aug. 18, 2011, he was dealt to the Hitmen for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. “Brady fell behind in his development with our forwards at the similar age,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said at the time of the trade. “That said, we felt it would be best for Brady to get a fresh start with another WHL team.” . . . Prior to this season, Brassart was in camp with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Kamloops Blazers have added D Cam Reagan and F Deven Sideroff, both 16, to their roster for the remainder of this season. . . . Reagan, from Sherwood Park, Alta., played on Saturday night against the Tigers in Medicine Hat. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft. This season, with the midget AAA Sherwood Park Kings, he had 25 points, four of them goals, in 35 games. Last night marked his fifth game this season with the Blazers. . . . Sideroff, a list player from Summerland, B.C., is expected to join the Blazers on Monday. He has three assists in six games with them this season. He spent the winter with the Okanagan Hockey Academy midget prep team in Penticton, B.C., putting up 66 points, including 30 goals, in 39 games. 
In Edmonton, the Calgary Hitmen took over sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . F Greg Chase had three assists for Calgary. . . . The Hitmen got off to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by F Elliott Peterson, his 11th, and F Connor Rankin, his 19th. . . . F Edgars Kulda got Edmonton on the board with his 26th, at 1:50 of the second, but Calgary D Kenton Helgeson restored the two-goal lead at 12:31 of the second. That was his ninth goal and came via the PP. . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz got his 32nd goal at 13:46 of the third. . . . F Henrik Samuelsson had two assists for Edmonton. . . . Calgary G Chris Driedger stopped 38 shots, seven more than Edmonton’s Tristan Jarry. . . . Calgary F Brady Brassart, who signed a three-year contract with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild earlier in the day, had one assist as he ran his point streak to 15 games. . . . According to WHL Facts (@WHLFacts), that is the longest streak by a Calgary skater since F Brandon Kozun strung together a 16-gamer in October-November 2009. . . . The Hitmen (43-15-7) lead the Oil Kings (44-16-3) by two points atop the conference. Edmonton has two games in hand. . . . 
In Prince Albert, the Raiders surrendered the first two goals and then roared back to beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-2. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart had his 22-game point streak and his 15-game assist streak come to an end. Both are franchise single-season records. . . . Raiders F Carson Perreaux tied the game 2-2, with his 16th goal, at 19:20 of the second period and F Leon Draisaitl scored his 30th at 3:25 of the third to put his guys out front. . . . D Landon Peel had two assists for the Ice. . . . Referees Jonathan Spurgeon and Colin Watt handed out only one minor penalty, that to Perreaux. . . . The Ice was able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. Included in the scratches was F Tim Bozon, as it went with nine forwards and seven defencemen. . . . The Raiders (30-30-5) are tied for eighth with the idle Red Deer Rebels (30-30-5) in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Ice (37-24-4) appears headed to a fifth-place finish. . . . 
In Swift Current, D Julius Honka scored twice to help the Broncos to a 7-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Broncos led 3-0 before the game was 13 minutes old, only to have the Hurricanes come back and tie it. . . . Swift Current then scored the next three goals to take control. . . . Honka, a freshman defenceman from Finland, has 16 goals. . . . F Graham Black and F Colby Cave each scored his 30th goal of the season for the Broncos. Black also had two assists. . . . The Broncos (32-24-9) are sixth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Kootenay and three points ahead of Brandon. . . . The Hurricanes (12-50-5) have lost nine straight games as they head towards the end of the poorest season in franchise history. The 1972-73 Winnipeg Jets finished with 42 points (16-42-10). The 1987-88 Hurricanes went 20-48-4, for 44 points. . . . 
In Moose Jaw, D Dmitry Sinitsyn and F Morgan Klimchuk, both of whom missed a game earlier in the week due to illness, scored two goals each to lead the Regina Pats to a 7-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Sinitsyn, who also had two assists, has eight goals; Klimchuk has 28. . . . Regina scored four power-play goals to lead 5-1 before the second period was 13 minutes old. . . . The Pats went 4-for-8 on the PP; the Warriors were 2-for-10. . . . F Brayden Point scored his 29th goal and added an assist for the Warriors. . . . The Pats, who swept the season series from the Warriors 8-0-0, clinched a playoff spot with the victory. . . . Regina (37-23-6) leads the East Division by seven points over Swift Current. . . . The Warriors (17-39-9) are 10th in the Eastern Conference. . . . 
In Medicine Hat, F Curtis Valk and F Trevor Cox each scored two goals and added two assists to help the Tigers to a 7-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Valk, who was plus-5, has 40 goals on the season. He has 81 points in 66 games. Last season, he finished with 91 points, including 46 goals, in 71 games. . . . Cox has 75 points, including 23 goals, in 64 games. Last season, as a sophomore, he had 39 points, 16 of them goals, in 72 games. . . . F Cole Sanford, the third member of that line, scored his 30th goal and added an assist. . . . Medicine Hat F Miles Koules had three assists. . . . Tigers G Nick Schneider stopped 30 shots. He lost his shutout at 18:51 of the third period when F Matt Bellerive scored his 17th goal. . . . Kamloops was without D Sam Grist and F Chase Souto, both of whom suffered undisclosed injuries in Friday’s 5-1 loss to the Hitmen in Calgary. Souto had missed eight games before playing in Calgary. . . . Kamloops D Connor Clouston, the son of Tigers’ GM/head coach Shaun Clouston, played his first game in his hometown. . . . The Tigers (41-22-3) are fourth in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Edmonton. . . . The Blazers (13-48-5) have lost four in a row. . . . 
In Prince George, F Axel Blomqvist broke a 1-1 tie at 12:34 of the second period as the Victoria Royals beat the Cougars, 2-1. . . . One night earlier, the Royals beat the Cougars, 5-3. . . . Blomqvist, who was acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier in the season, has 22 goals. . . . F Todd Fiddler got the Cougars on the board with his 45th goal at 8:52 of the first. . . . Victoria F Jack Walker tied it with his sixth goal at 6:50 of the second. . . . Victoria G Patrik Polivka stopped 31 shots, 12 more than the Cougars’ Ty Edmonds. . . . Fiddler ran his point streak to 18 games, the longest active streak in the WHL. . . . The Royals will have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. . . . The Royals (45-17-4) are third in the Western Conference, five points behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Cougars (26-24-8) are four points out of a playoff spot with four games remaining. . . .
In Kent, Wash., the Portland Winterhawks’ winning streak ended at 21 games, thanks to a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Portland fell one game short of tying the WHL single-season record that is held by the 1967-68 Estevan Bruins. . . . The Winterhawks scored the game’s first goal, by F Chase De Leo, his 36th, at 2:43 of the first period. However, they weren’t able to beat G Taran Kozun again. He finished with 41 saves. . . . Kozun is 13-4-1, 1.80, .944 with the Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore tied the game at 6:55 of the first, getting his 18th goal on the PP. . . . Seattle F Alexander Delnov broke the tie with his 27th goal at 11:16. . . . F Justin Hickman, with his 21st, and F Branden Troock, with his 22nd, later added insurance. . . . Portland G Corbin Boes stopped 21 shots as he lost for the first time (12-1-1) in regulation time since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . Seattle (39-19-6) last won 40 games in 2007-08 when it finished 42-23-7. It is fourth in the Western Conference, six points ahead of Spokane. . . . Portland (47-13-5) is nine points behind Kelowna in the conference. . . . 
In Spokane, G Eric Comrie stopped 34 shots to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 3-0 victory over the Chiefs. . . . Comrie has three shutouts this season and eight in his career. . . . The Chiefs have been blanked in back-to-back games since they scored nine times in beating the visiting Kamloops Blazers 9-4 on Feb. 23. . . . F Parker Bowles scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, at 3:30 of the first period, via the PP. . . . D Brandon Carlo, with his third, and F Brian Williams, with his 36th, also scored. . . . Spokane G Eric Williams stopped 26 shots. . . . Tri-City (28-29-8) holds down the Western Conference’s last playoff spot, four points up on Prince George. . . . Spokane (36-23-6) is fifth, five points ahead of the Everett Silvertips.
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