Tuesday . . .

The WHL revealed late Tuesday afternoon that LW Brendan Ranford of the Kamloops Blazers has been suspended for six games.
That is the price Ranford, who leads the Blazers in all three major offensive categories, will pay for cross-checking linesman Kris Hartley across the chest during the second period of a game in Kamloops on Friday.
The Blazers were in the process of dropping a 5-1 decision to the Kelowna Rockets at the time, a loss that would be their fifth in a row. One night later, without Ranford in the lineup, they would lose 1-0 in a shootout to the Rockets in Kelowna.
Ranford will sit out the Blazers’ last two regular-season games — they are at home to the Prince George Cougars on Friday and will play in Prince George on Saturday.
Should the Blazers make the playoffs, Ranford will sit out the first three games of the first-round series. Should the Blazers not qualify, Ranford will be forced to watch the first three games of the 2011-12 regular season.
The Blazers go into tonight’s games in ninth place in the Western Conference, two points out of eighth and three out of seventh.
From here, I would suggest that Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, who handles discipline, got this one about right. While Ranford’s crime was unforgivable, there wasn’t any attempt to injure Hartley, nor was the linesman knocked off his feet or even off-balance.
Still, there is no excuse for Ranford’s action.
But, in the end, Ranford and the Blazers will pay more than six games for this.
For starters, we will never know if Ranford’s presence might have made a difference in that 1-0 game in Kelowna on Saturday. The score would indicate that was a winnable game for Kamloops; however, Ranford has ended his regular-season with zero points in his last six games.
And, of course, we will never know what kind of impact he might have in the approaching two-game series with Prince George.
Let’s not forget, too, that for the rest of his WHL career, Ranford may as well wear a scarlet letter as someone who put a stick to an official. After all, what do you think the odds are of Ranford ever getting a break from the men in stripes, at least during the rest of his days in this league?
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In Edmonton last night, the Oil Kings scored the game’s last seven goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 8-1. . . . Edmonton F Jordan Hickmott played in his 300th regular-season game. Hickmott, who also has played with the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers, had a goal, his 28th, and an assist. . . . The victory lifted the Oil Kings, who are seventh in the Eastern Conference, to within a point of the idle Brandon Wheat Kings. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Hurricanes (23-34-13), with two games to play, are ninth, two points behind the Prince Albert Raiders (28-36-5), who have three games to play. . . .
In Medicine Hat, F Max Reinhart scored the game’s first two goals to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. . . . Reinhart has 34 goals. . . . The Ice was 1-for-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 1-for-9. . . . The victory kept the Ice in the chase for third place in the Eastern Conference as it now trails the Tigers by three points. Each team has two games remaining. . . . The Tigers are four points behind the Central Division-leading Red Deer Rebels, who also have two games to play. . . .
In Swift Current, G Mark Friesen stopped 32 shots to help the Broncos to a 6-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . The shutout was Friesen’s sixth this season. . . . Regina was 0-for-9 on the PP; the Broncos were 3-for-5. . . . F Brad Hoban had three goals, giving him 23, while F Justin Dowling returned to the lineup from an ankle injury and got his 20^th goal. . . . The loss ended Regina’s faint hope of catching Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. The Pats now are six points back with just two games remaining. . . . The Broncos are a point behind Regina, so won’t be in the postseason either.
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There are six games on Wednesday’s schedule.
The Prince Albert Raiders meet the Hitmen in Calgary. The Raiders can clinch at least a tie for eighth place with a victory. The Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, will finish last in the Eastern Conference and out of the playoffs. . . .
The Moose Jaw Warriors, who will finish fifth in the conference, are in Saskatoon to face the Blades, who will finish first overall in the WHL this season. . . .
The Everett Silvertips are to meet the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash. The Silvertips aren’t likely to have G Kent Simpson (ankle) or F Landon Ferraro (groin) in their lineup. . . . Everett, which will finish with four road games in five nights, is eighth in the Western Conference, but a victory would life it past the idle Prince George Cougars and into seventh. . . . The Americans will finish fourth in the conference. . . .
The Vancouver Giants, having lost six in a row, are in Portland to face the Winterhawks. Vancouver, with four games left, is tied with the Chilliwack Bruins for fifth in the conference. The Bruins have three games left. . . . The Winterhawks, with four games left, continue to lead the conference, but are just one point ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . .
The Chiefs, who have four games to play, are at home to the Bruins. The Chiefs, by the way, will open the playoffs on the road as their building isn’t available on the March 25 weekend. . . .
The Kelowna Rockets, who will finish atop the B.C. Division and thus be the conference’s second seed for the first round, are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Seattle is last in the conference. It is four points out of a playoff spot with four games remaining.
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There would seem to be quite a tussle going on in the boardroom of the Chilliwack Bruins, with minority owners Moray Keith and Jim Bond trying to keep the WHL team right where it is.
The Chilliwack Progress has more right here, including confirmation from Keith on reports that Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins has expressed interest in being involved.
That story is right here.
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JUST NOTES: The Kamloops Blazers have added F Matt Needham to their roster for the remainder of their season. Needham, the Blazers’ first pick in the 2010 bantam draft, already has played 11 games with Kamloops, earning seven points. He had 45 points in 38 games with the midget AAA Prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton this season. . . . Goaltenders Jacob DeSerres and Andrew Hayes were teammates for a Memorial Cup-bound team -- the host Brandon Wheat Kings -- a year ago. Earlier this season, both lost out in the 20-year-old numbers game, cleared WHL waivers and chose to try their luck in the QMJHL. Now they will meet up in the first round of the playoffs there, DeSerres with the Saint John Sea Dogs, who are having a record-setting season, and Hayes with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, who go in as the No. 16 seed. . . . Adam Brown of the Kelowna Rockets was named the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0, 0.65, .979 last week. . . . D Brendan Kennedy, who was selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the sixth round of the 2009 bantam draft, will play next season for the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. His twin brother, Jeff, who is a forward, also will play for Salmon Arm. Jeff’s WHL rights belong to the Kamloops Blazers, who placed his name on their protected list in November. The brothers are twins -- they will turn 17 on Feb. 6 -- from Terrace, B.C. They played this season with the midget AAA Prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C.

Cougars preparing to bid on MC

If you are a regular visitor here, chances are that you have visited The Dub Hub, the blog over there on the right that has been maintained mainly by Steve Ewen, who has followed the Vancouver Giants and the WHL for a number of years now.
And you may have noticed a few weeks ago that Ewen’s postings to that blog suddenly stopped.
That’s because Ewen ran into some health issues. A tumour was discovered near his spinal cord -- he has been diagnosed with Solitary Plasmacytoma -- and now is into a radiation program.
And Ewen is writing about it all right here.
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The Prince George Cougars have told the WHL that they will be preparing a bid in hopes of landing the 2013 Memorial Cup.
Brandi Brodsky, the Cougars’ vice-president, told the Prince George Citizen that the team is using the Nov. 18 Subway Super Series game to be played there as something of a test run.
“The league will be looking at a number of things when they evaluate who would be the best host for the 2013 Memorial Cup,” Brodsky told Citizen sports editor Jim Swanson. “One of them is fan support, and how the city is supporting the team. We’re hoping to showcase Prince George to the CHL in an event of this calibre and show them this city can support an event as big as the Memorial Cup.”
Teams don’t have to file letters of interest until April, at which time there might be as many 10 teams expressing interest. The Lethbridge Hurricanes already are on the record as saying they will be involved in the bidding.
“The competition will be fierce,” Brodsky said. “The process is difficult to go through — it’s time-consuming, and it’s expensive. We certainly are serious about it.”
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The Chilliwack Bruins have changed the starting time for their Dec. 7 game against the visiting Swift Current Broncos, a move that will allow them to hold what they are calling the Great Canadian Oil Change “Celebrating Youth Field Trip.”
The Bruins expect more than 3,000 middle school students from throughout the district to be bused to Prospera Centre for, according to a news release, “a day that will be focused on healthy living and nutrition.”
“The educational component of the Bruins game will include workbooks for the students to fill out during the contest and will feature curriculum connections to social studies, math, art, music and health. The game also will include a full program of features using the overhead videotron and static displays at Prospera Centre with an emphasis on healthy living skills, fitness, nutrition and good citizenship.”
The game, originally scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., now is to start at 10:30 a.m.
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CapGeek.com has posted salary details of the three-year deal that Everett Silvertips F Landon Ferraro signed with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings. The AHL salary each season will be US$65,000, with NHL salaries of $665,000, $715,000 and $765,000. . . . He gets a $270,000 signing bonus, payable in annual $90,000 increments. . . . Ferraro was selected by Detroit in the second round, 32nd overall, of the 2009 draft.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have assigned RW Jon Gaudet, 18, to the MJHL’s Winnipeg Saints. The former Manitoba high school player of the year had four points, including two goals, in 10 games with the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon now is carrying 24 players, including two goaltenders and 14 forwards. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks opened their East Division swing by beating the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2. Portland now has won nine straight games. . . . The Winterhawks (15-2-1) will play the Pats in Regina tonight. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped F Brad Ross on a second-period penalty shot. . . . Portland F Ryan Johansen scored twice, including an empty-netter. He has seven on the season. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi drew one assist to run his point streak to 11 games. Linemate Ty Rattie has his streak end at 10 games. . . . The Broncos had F Zac Mackay in their lineup. A fourth-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft, he has 15 points with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires. . . . The Broncos’ injury list shows D Joel Rogers (ankle, day-to-day), D Tanner Muth (fractured clavicle, 4-6 weeks), D Jordan Evans (concussion, 1-2 weeks), F Brendan Silvester (back, indefinite), F Taylor Vause (hamstring, 2-3 weeks), F Cody Eakin (strained abdominal/hip flexor, day-to-day) and F Dillon Wagner (knee, week-to-week). . . .
In Saskatoon, Seattle F Luke Lockhart scored three times and F Marcel Noebels scored in regulation and in the shootout as the Thunderbird beat the Blades, 5-4. . . . D Brendan Dillon had three assists for Seattle, while F Curtis Hamilton scored twice for Saskatoon. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots. . . . Noebels, a freshman from Germany, is 4-for-7 in shootouts. . . . Seattle has had nine of its 16 games go to overtime. It has won four of those games, lost two in OT and won three in the shootout. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford, 20, remains sidelined with a concussion suffered Oct. 28 in practice. Adam Todd, 16, who plays for the major midget Kelowna-Okanagan Rockets, backed up Adam Morrison for a sixth straight game. . . .
G Darcy Kuemper stopped 34 shots to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a 2-0 victory over the host Everett Silvertips. . . . It was his third shutout of the season and the ninth of his career. . . . In Chilliwack, F Mike Piluso’s fifth goal of the season, at 1:36 of OT, gave the Edmonton Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. Edmonton has followed a nine-game losing streak with two victories.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Swift Current F Justin Dowling
Seattle F Mitch Elliot
Chilliwack D Tyler Stahl

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

A goal for a 14-year-old . . .

There is a lot of focus these days on what is a legal hit and what isn’t, what warrants a suspension and what doesn’t.
In the WHL, the hit by F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans on F Josh Nicholls of the Saskatoon Blades was nasty and it was rather obvious that it warranted a suspension.
In the NHL, Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes caught a piece of Dan Sexton of the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. There wasn’t a penalty on the play — if you haven’t seen it, it’s right here.
It’s an open-ice hit on an unsuspecting player who has just delivered a pass. It isn’t one of those devastating checks that blows up someone. Doan cuts in front of Sexton and his shoulder appears to hit the jaw area.
And Colin Campbell, the NHL’s hanging judge, decided it warranted a three-game suspension.
Which is well and good, but, really, was a suspension warranted? Is the NHL skating on a slippery slope” As it works to get headshots out of the game, is it in danger of eliminating even more of the body contact?
Here’s a tweet from former NHLer Tyson Nash, who now is on the Phoenix Coyotes’ broadcast crew:
“Hockey isn't (tiddly) winks! Everyone who plays should know the consequences. It’s dangerous out there. Or it used to be. Heads up boys!”
He also tweeted:
“Oh and (Sexton) wasn't even hurt! Not right. Players need to be accountable as well. Keep ur head up and don't admire ur passes.”
Meanwhile, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Dr. Michael J. Stuart and others have organized a conference called The Ice Hockey Summit: Action on Concussion.
In a piece by Jeff Z. Klein at The New York Times’ hockey blog, Dr. Stuart says: “Whenever I talk to young players, I always say the same things: never use your stick; never use your head as a weapon; never leave your feet to deliver a hit; never do anything at the expense of the health and safety of your opponent or yourself. I try to show them that you don’t have to kill the other guy to separate him from the puck.”
Amen!
And make no mistake — this has to start at the grass roots level of minor hockey. Players have to be taught how to use angles, how to squeeze an opponent out of the play and away from the puck, the dangers of leaving your feet and on and on and on.
But, at the same time, they need to be taught to be aware of what’s going on when they are out there on the ice.
Hockey is a tough, physical game. And when you get to the junior level and above, fans pay money to be entertained. That entertainment includes good, hard checks.
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I was told late Tuesday night that G Todd Mathews, 20, is joining the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Mathews was dropped by the Kootenay Ice last week as it chose to go with three forwards — Steele Boomer, Matt Fraser and Kevin King — as its 20-year-olds. . . . Mathews, from Covina, Calif., got into three games this season, going 1-1-0-1, 2.28, .925. Last season, he got into 55 games with the Ice, and finished 33-14-3-2, 2.75, .907. . . . The Lancers have two goaltenders on their roster — Christopher Holden, 20, from Marlton, N.J., and John Keeney, 17, from Twin Peaks, Calif. Holden is 1-1, 2.02, .920. . . . Keeney, whose WHL rights belong to the Kamloops Blazers, is 2-0, 1.41, .942. Keeney’s two victories were over the Tri-City Storm — 3-2 and 2-1. Drew Schoneck, a former WHL player and coach, is the Storm’s GM/head coach.
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It seems that the Brandon Wheat Kings have supplied a second goaltender to the QMJHL. The Brandon Sun reports that the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have signed G Andrew Hayes, 20, who was dropped late in September, a victim of the 20-year-old numbers game.
Hayes cleared waivers, The Sun reports, and is joining the Screaming Eagles. Last week, G Jacob DeSerres, 20, who also was dropped by Brandon, now is with the Saint John Sea Dogs. In fact, he put up a shutout in his first start with the Sea Dogs.
Hayes, from Sherwood Park, Alta., holds Brandon’s franchise record for GAA, at 2.79. He played 111 regular-season games with Brandon. Last season, he was 25-12-2, 2.68, .906.
The Screaming Eagles have two other goaltenders on their roster -- François Lacerte, 19, and Alex Veronneau, 17. And they have three other 20-year-olds -- F Stephen Horyl, who is injured at the moment, F Taylor MacDougall and D Spencer Metcalfe.

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DEPT. OF DISCIPLINE: D Mitchell Chapman of the Kelowna Rockets was hit with a six-game suspension for knee-on-knee hit on F Dylen McKinlay of the Bruins in Chilliwack on Friday. Chapman has served one game to date. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels each were fined $250 for a line brawl on Saturday night in Red Deer. As well, Campese was touched up for $500 for the game misconduct he received. Ch-ch-ching!
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On the heels of news that Everett Silvertips head coach Craig Hartsburg will be undergoing heart surgery, Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun spoke with Vancouver Giants coaches Don Hay and John Becanic. . . . Hay spoke of the stress involved with coaching, while Becanic, a former Everett coach, recalled a time when he was having his blood pressure taken between periods. . . . Give that story a read right here.
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The Kootenay Ice got down to 22 players Tuesday by reassigning two 17-year-old forwards — Ryan Bloom and Jarett Zentner — although their destinations haven’t yet been revealed. Bloom, a second-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, was pointless in two games, while Zentner, who didn’t have a point in four games, was a fourth-round selection. The Ice is carrying two goaltenders, seven defencemen and 13 forwards. . . . D Sena Acolatse of the Prince George Cougars is the CHL’s player of the week. He had 11 points in three games and was plus-8. . . . G Mark Friesen of the Swift Current Broncos is the CHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 5-0-0-0 last week, putting up two shutouts to go with numbers of 0.98 and .966. . . . The WHL will announce Thursday the rosters for the teams that will play against a touring Russian team in the Subway Super Series. Those games will be played Nov. 17 in Kamloops and Nov. 18 in Prince George.
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TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
EDMONTON 1 at KOOTENAY 4: D Luke Paulsen had a goal and two assists for the Ice (6-3-1). . . . Paulsen, an 18-year-old sophomore from Winnipeg, had four assists in 49 games last season. He has a goal and five assists in 10 outings this season. . . . F Sam Reinhart, 14, got the winning goal in his first WHL game. One of three brothers playing in the game, he broke a 1-1 tie at 1:19 of the third period. . . . He was the 15th pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Max Reinhart is a forward with the Ice, while Griffin is a defenceman with the Oil Kings. . . . Sam, who turns 15 on Nov. 6, and Max, who was pointless, each finished plus-1; Griffin had an assist but wound up minus-3. . . . Paulsen, who drew assists on the Ice’s first two goal, made it 3-1 with a shorthanded goal at 10:27. . . . The Oil Kings (5-6-0) have lost four in a row. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 26 shots, eight more than Edmonton’s Cam Lanigan. . . . Edmonton was 1-for-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-for-9. . . . Attendance was 2,189. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SASKATOON 1 at MOOSE JAW 5: F Quinton Howden scored two goals and set up two others as the Warriors (4-7-0), who have won two in a row, ended the Blades’ six-game winning streak. . . . Saskatoon is 8-2-0. . . . The Blades scored the game’s first goal when F Darian Dziurzynski got his eighth just 5:33 into the first period. . . . But the Warriors got that one back eight minutes later when F Antonin Honejsek scored on the PP and Howden gave them the lead with another PP goal at 12:03 of the second. . . . F Dylan Hood added a goal, his sixth, and two assists for the Warriors, while D Dylan McIlrath had two assists. . . . Howden has five goals, as does Honejsek. . . . Moose Jaw F Joey Kornelsen had a goal and an assist. . . . Kornelsen, Hood and Howden were on a line together. . . . Warriors G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 22 shots. . . . Saskatoon opened with Steven Stanford, who gave up three goals on 15 shots. Adam Morrison came on to stop 11 of 12. . . . Moose Jaw was 2-for-5 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-for-2. . . . Attendance was 2,517. . . . Checking-from-behind count: One minor, to Saskatoon F Josh Nicholls. . . . Nicholls was penalized at 13:04 of the first period and the Warriors scored on the ensuing PP. It was Nicholls, of course, who was hit from behind by F Brendan Shinnimin of the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 6, a hit that resulted in a 12-game suspension to Shinnimin.
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CALGARY 1 at TRI-CITY 3: The Americans, in their first home game since Oct. 1, opened a 2-0 lead and went from there. . . . F Adam Hughesman scored his eighth of the season at 12:33 of the second period and F Brooks Macek made it 2-0 at 6:32 of the third. . . . The Hitmen cut into the lead on F Justin Kirsch’s goal at 8:03. . . . F Patrick Holland iced it with his seventh just 19 seconds later. . . . The Americans (8-3-1) now are 4-0 on home ice. They are back home after a 3-3 East Division swing. . . . The Hitmen (4-5-0) are 2-2 on their U.S. Division tour. . . . These teams met in last season’s championship final, with Calgary winning in five games. . . . Each team was 0-for-3 on the PP. . . . The Hitmen had a lengthy 5-on-3 in the first period when the Americans were caught with too many men at 8:08 and D Zach Yuen took a high-sticking minor at 8:57. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley stopped 34 shots, while Calgary’s Juraj Holly turned aside 26. . . . Attendance was 3,630. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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Taking Note on Twitter

Sunday . . .

The Chilliwack Bruins will be without F Dylen McKinlay, 18, for an indefinite period. He suffered a knee injury on Friday in a 4-3 loss to the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Kelowna D Mitchell Chapman has been suspended for his part in the play. . . . The Vancouver Giants lost F Marek Tvrdon, a Slovakian freshman, during Saturday’s 6-3 loss to host Chilliwack. He left in the second period with an apparent injury to his right shoulder. . . . F Stefan Schneider (Vancouver, Portland, 2007-10) scored his first AHL goal Saturday. Schneider, who turns 21 on Dec. 13, found the range for the Manitoba Moose in a 3-2 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins. . . .
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SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
EDMONTON 0 at SWIFT CURRENT 4: G Mark Friesen stopped 33 shots for his third shutout of the young season. . . . The Broncos (7-6-0) have started Friesen in each of their games to date. . . . He has finished all but one. . . . According to the WHL website, Friesen has 23 career shutouts. That would seem to indicate that there still are problems with the website, wouldn’t it? . . . Edmonton (5-5-0) has lost three in a row after a franchise-record five-game winning streak. . . . F Taylor Vause got the game’s first goal, his sixth, at 4:35 of the second period. . . . F Cody Eakin got his seventh, into an empty net. . . . Edmonton G Cam Lanigan stopped 21 shots. . . . Edmonton was 0-for-5 on the PP; the Broncos were 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 1,863. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.

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