Pronghorns looking for help . . . Portland fans head north . . . Red Wings in trouble

F Marcel Hossa (Portland, 1999-2001) has signed a two-game contract with Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia, Extraliga). Hossa was released by Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) on Dec. 20 in a cost-cutting move. In 38 games with Dinamo, he had seven goals and nine assists. Hossa also was the team’s captain.
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The players on the U of Lethbridge Pronghorns hockey team are pulling together for two of their own.
In recent weeks, two Pronghorns — G Dylan Tait and trainer Brennan Mahon — have been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
“Our team has decided to set up a website to raise awareness and collect donations,” former Kamloops Blazers F Mark Hall (2006-10) told Taking Note.
The team is taking things a step further than that, too, as it strives to show support.
“At our last home game,” Hall informs, “we will be shaving our heads to join the fight with our two teammates.”
That will take place on Jan. 30.
Tait and Hall both are in their fourth seasons with the Pronghorns. Tait, a 23-year-old native of Lethbridge, played one game with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice (2008-09) and 27 with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (2010-11). Mahon is in his first season with the Pronghorns.
If you would like to help, the website is right here.
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The Tri-City Americans have signed F Michael Rasmussen, who was a first-round selection, eighth overall, in the 2014 bantam draft. From Surrey, B.C., Rasmussen is playing at the Okanagan Hockey Academy where he has 38 points, including 19 goals, in 32 games. Last season, at OHA, he had 85 points, 38 of them goals, in 62 games. . . . Rasmussen is scheduled to play for the Americans when they meet the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday. As a 15-year-old, he can play up to five games before his club team’s season ends.
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The Everett Silvertips have added F Cole Chorney, 18, to their protected. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Chorney, who has WHL experience with the Red Deer Rebels, is likely to play for the Silvertips on Tuesday and Wednesday when they visit the Prince George Cougars. . . . Chorney played 58 games with the Rebels last season, putting up six goals and five assists. He was released after getting one assist in six games this season. . . . Chorney, from Beaumont, Alta., has been with the BCHL’s Merritt Centennials. He has eight points, including four goals, in 16 games with Merritt.
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The Portland Winterhawks will meet the Cougars in Prince George tonight and Saturday, and the visitors will have some fans in the stands. The Winterhawks Booster Club chartered a bus and 38 fans will be in attendance after the 18-hour trek. While the Portland fans are in Prince George, Andy Beesley, the Cougars’ vice-president of business, will chat with them as he has plans to get a booster club started there. . . . The Prince George Citizen has more right here.
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What happens when you are a WHL player and you get traded twice in the same season? How does it feel when you get traded when you least expect it? Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more right here.
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The SJHL’s Weyburn Red Wings are in debt to the tune of about $180,000 and there are rumblings that they may not be able to operate after this season. . . . There’s more right here.
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F Jaimen Yakubowski of the Moose Jaw Warriors will sit out two games for the headshot major and game misconduct he incurred for a hit on F Sam Reinhart of the visiting Kootenay Ice on Wednesday. Yakubowski won’t play tonight in Swift Current against the Broncos or Saturday against the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The WHL office also has handed out $1,000 in fines and two more games in suspensions. . . . F Devon McAndrews of the Spokane Chiefs will sit for one game after instigating a fight in the last five minutes of a game against the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., on Tuesday. He won’t play tonight in Everett. . . . D Ayrton Nikkel of the Swift Current Broncos drew a one-game suspension “for actions during warm-up” on Sunday prior to a game with the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. He’ll sit tonight against visiting Moose Jaw. . . . McAndrews’ actions also resulted in Spokane being fined $500, while the Broncos and Oil Kings each drew a $250 fine for warm-up violations.
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The @SPCAswift named a cat after Dillon Heatherington. @DHM_2 had to meet him! He was well behaved until picture time.http://t.co/bCD3kKBIeV
— SC Broncos (@SCBroncos) January 16, 2015

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Defenceman Marek Hrbas works to chase down winger J.T. Barnett
in front of referee Dexter Rasmussen during the Kamloops Blazers'
intrasquad game Tuesday night.
(Photo by Hugo Yuen/Kamloops Daily News)

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports EditorAs intrasquad games go it was a good game of shinny.
Team White took over play in the second period and skated to a 4-2 victory over Team Blue in the Kamloops Blazers' annual intrasquad game before an estimated 500 fans at Interior Savings Centre
Following the game, the Blazers reassigned 17 players, taking their roster down to 29 - three goaltenders, 10 defencemen and 16 forwards.
There was a lot of skating in this game, but not much physical contact and nothing even close to a fight. Head coach Guy Charron and associate coach Dave Hunchak took it all in from the press box and likely didn't see anything that made the decision-making process any easier.
Six goaltenders saw action and all played well. Team White got 24 saves from Cole Cheveldave (11/12), Troy Trombley (5/5) and Scott Lapp (8/9), while Team Blue received 30 saves from Cam Lanigan (12/13), Taran Kozun (10/12) and Braden Krogfoss (8-8).
Later, Trombley, Lapp and Krogfoss were among the assignees. That means there weren't any goaltending surprises in camp, with, as expected, Cheveldave, Kozun and Lanigan left to scrap for playing time through the exhibition season.
Team White got its four goals from centres Matt McLeod, a 16-year-old from Saskatoon who returned home after the game, sophomore Logan McVeigh, and veterans Dylan Willick and Colin Smith, the latter into an empty net at 18:32 of the third period.
Veteran winger J.T. Barnett and centre Aspen Sterzer replied for Team Blue. Sterzer, who turns 17 on Sept. 9, is from Canal Flats; he got into 10 games with the Blazers last season.
Team Blue actually took a 1-0 lead midway in the first period on a big-league snap shot by Barnett that beat Cheveldave under the crossbar.
Barnett, a left-hand shot, scored 21 goals for the Vancouver Giants while patrolling right wing two seasons ago. Last season, with the Blazers, Barnett counted just 13 times as he spent most of his time on the left side.
Last night, he was back on the right side, as he has been through most of camp, and he was flying.
“I went in and told Guy that this year I'm not even going to worry about it,” said Barnett, 19. “If they want me to play left (wing), I'll figure out a way to play left. I'm not going to complain about that.
“I do feel more comfortable on right wing . . . but if they put me on left wing I'll deal with it.”
This summer, Barnett attended the New Jersey Devils' prospects camp. While there, he took a slapshot to his right cheek and ended up with fractures to the cheek and jaw.
“There were fractured bones,” he said, “but not displaced fractures. They were all just cracked but not separated. It's all good now.”
Barnett, an undrafted free agent, showed enough that he was invited to the Devils' main camp. And then it'll be back to Kamloops.
“I think we'll have a really good team,” he said. “Guys are coming together and feel really, really excited about the upcoming season.”
McLeod tied the score in the first period, and Team White added two second-period goals, from McVeigh and Willick, as it took control. Willick counted on a 5-on-3 power play as Team Blue ran into penalty trouble.
Willick brought a game-ending roar of laughter from the crowd when he fired a shot just over an empty net at the buzzer.
“Smith was having a really good time with his empty net goal,” a laughing Willick said, “and I didn't want to upstage him.
“There wasn't enough time left for (Team Blue) to do anything. . . . In the regular season that just isn't going to happen.”
Like Barnett, Willick, who will turn 19 on Oct. 19, likes what he saw in this training camp.
“It's been great,” he said. “There are a lot of good young kids coming up, really impressing the players and coaching staff. It's great to see.”
He also has noticed a change from the coaching staff.
“They're not accepting anything less than the best and . . . the guys are buying into it,” Willick said. “There aren't any passengers this year. Everybody's pushing in the same direction.”
JUST NOTES: Veteran F J.C. Lipon, playing for Blue, left in the third period favouring his left leg after a neutral zone collision. Trainer Colin Robinson said Lipon “will be fine.” . . . Goaltending coach Dan De Palma was behind Team White's bench, while Team Blue was under the watchful eyes of assistant coach Ed Patterson and Barry Dewar, the owner and GM of the junior B Kamloops Storm. Patterson, of course, spent a couple of seasons as the Storm's head coach. . . . F Matt Needham (elbow) and F Jordan DePape (hip) were scratched with injuries, while D Josh Caron and D Bronson Maschmeyer, both 20-year-olds, also sat out. . . . The Blazers are at home to the Victoria Royals on Friday in the first exhibition game of the new season. Starting time at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre will be 7 p.m. . . . Former Blazers F Mark Hall, who played last season with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, is off to the U of Lethbridge where he'll play for the Pronghorns. 
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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