THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Kenndal McArdle (Moose Jaw, Vancouver, 2002-07) signed a one-year contract with Västerås (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had seven goals and 15 assists in 31 games with the Greenville Road Warriors (ECHL) and three goals and two assists in 30 games with the Rockford Ice Hogs (AHL) this
season.
---
In a piece headlined Might and Right, Charles Pierce writes that with another season on the horizon "this is a perilous time for the NFL." That piece is right here, and hockey people should read this with interest.
---
The Portland Winterhawks won the WHL championship in Edmonton on Sunday evening, and arrived home later that night. Paul Buker of The Oregonian has a piece right here that details the arrival and the beginning of Memorial Cup preparations.
---
"Even without him at games, the Hawks didn't get there without Mike Johnston," writes Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune. His column is right here.
---
The Vancouver Giants will make it official today – Bruce Allen, who manages some big names in the world of entertainment, has purchased a chunk of the WHL franchise. Among Allen’s clients if Michael Buble, who also owns a piece of the Giants. . . . Ron Toigo remains the franchise’s majority owner.
---
The Kamloops Blazers have re-signed Craig Bonner, the organization’s executive vice-president and general manager. Bonner’s original five-year contract was to expire this offseason. . . . The Blazers didn’t announce any details, except for it being "a multi-year contract extension." . . . Kamloops is 188-143-29 with Bonner as GM, thanks to a pair of back-to-back 47-20-5 seasons in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The Blazers finished atop the B.C. Division in 2011-12 and were eliminated by the Portland Winterhawks in the second round of playoffs. This season, they were ousted by Portland in the Western Conference final. . . . Head coach Guy Charron and associate head coach Dave Hunchak, who have worked together for two seasons, are on contracts that expire this offseason. Don’t be surprised if Hunchak ends up as the head coach before another season gets here, with Charron, should he choose to stay on, remaining on the coaching staff in a secondary role. . . . Of course, there has been speculation that Dean Chynoweth could end up as the next head coach of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Should that happen, might he make an offer to Hunchak to join him as an assistant coach? The two spent three seasons with the Swift Current Broncos, with Chynoweth as head coach and Hunchak as assistant coach.
---
The Seattle Thunderbirds have signed F Scott Eansor, 17, of Denver to a WHL contract. Eansor played for the minor midget Colorado Thunderbirds Tier 1 team in 2012-13. Seattle G Danny Mumaugh and D Griffin Foulk both came through that same Colorado program.
---
The Tri-City Americans made it official on Monday – they have signed F Parker AuCoin, their first-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft, to a WHL contract. AuCoin, from Calgary, was the 15th player taken in the draft. Playing with the Calgary Northstar Sabres, he scored 63 goals in 33 games last season, the second-highest total in Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League history. F Ty Rattie scored 75 for the Airdrie Xtreme in 2007-08. . . . Including playoffs and tournaments, AuCoin had 135 points, including 91 goals, in 56 games.
---
Three members of the Edmonton Oil Kings – F Travis Ewanyk, D Martin Gernat and D David Musil – have joined the AHL`s Oklahoma City Barons. . . . All three were selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL`s 2011 entry draft – Musil in the second round, Ewanyk in the third and Gernat in the fifth. . . . The Oil Barons are in an AHL playoff series with the Texas Stars. Last night, the Oil Barons beat the visiting Stars 4-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Game 4 will be played in OKC on Wednesday night.
---
A note from an avid fan of the Portland Winterhawks:
Here is an excerpt from an article I found on the official Memorial Cup website . . .
The Hawks will be making their fourth trip to the Memorial Cup tournament, having won the Memorial Cup in 1998 as WHL Champions and in 1982 as the host team. Portland opens their Memorial Cup round robin schedule versus Halifax on May 18th.
WRONG ... WRONG ... WRONG - This will be the Hawks FIFTH trip to the Memorial Cup:
1982 - WHL Champs
1983 - Host Team
1986 - Host Team
1998 - WHL Champs
2013 - WHL Champs
And finally – how many times will we hear the "talking heads" on Rogers refer to the upcoming Memorial Cup – as the "national championship" . . . (or something like that) – despite the fact a team based in Portland, Oregon, is competing?
---
THE COACHING GAME:
Al Sims, the director of player personnel and head coach of the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets, has retired. Sims had been the Komets’ head coach for 10 seasons, including the last six in a row. This also was his 38th season in professional hockey, since he was a freshman defenceman with the NHL’s Boston Bruins in 1973-74.
---
The Memorial Cup field is set after the host London Knights scored a 3-2 victory over the Barrie Colts in Game 7 of the OHL final las night. . . . This one ended in thrilling fashion as London F Bo Horvat broke a 2-2 tie with less than one second remaining in the third period. In fact, the clock showed 0.1 when Horvat scored. . . . It was his 16th goal of the playoffs. He had three winners in the final series. . . . Barrie was without F Mark Scheifele, who was injured during Game 6. . . .The Knights are the third team in OHL history to win a series after trailing 3-1 in games. The 1979 Peterborough Petes and 1990 Oshawa Generals also did it. . . . London is the 10th team in OHL history to win back-to-back championships. . . . The Knights will open the Memorial Cup on Friday against the host Saskatoon Blades. . . . The WHL-champion Portland Winterhawks meet the QMJHL-champion Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday. . . . Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press has more on Horvat's winning goal right here.
---
TWEET OF THE DAY:
From Passive Voice (@ZKlineWHRB): "How the hell does Hadfield let that happen? Does he know nothing about hockey? If you're in space and your team is winning YOU STAY IN SPACE"
---
From Steve Murray (@NPsteve): "Well, if @cmdr_hadfield landed and the Leafs had won he wouldn't believe he was on earth."

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:
F Max Brandl (Prince Albert, Portland, 2007-09) signed a one-year contract extension with Landshut Cannibals (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had seven goals and nine assists in 43 games for the Cannibals this season. . . .

Mulhouse (France, Ligue Magnus) announced that it won’t offer a contract for next season to D Ales Cerny (Swift Current, 2000-02). He had two goals and four assists in 20 games for Mulhouse this season. Mulhouse was relegated to Division 1 for next season. . . .

D Martin Grundling (Moose Jaw, 2005-07) was one of nine players not offered contracts for next season by Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had one goal in 48 games this season.
———



Japan lost 1-0 to host Hungary in the third-place game at the IIHF’s Division 1 Group A world championship in Budapest a week ago. Aaron Keller, who played for the Kamloops Blazers (1992-96), was honoured as the tournament’s top defenceman and was named to the all-star team. Keller has played in Japan since 1997-98. . . . Kazakhstan won the tournament, beating Italy 3-0 in the final. Both countries earned promotion and will play with the big boys in the 2014 world championship in Minsk, Belarus. . . . F Pat Iannone of Italy, who is a native of Fruitvale, B.C., was honoured as the tournament’s MVP. He played for Kootenay, Tri-City, Medicine Hat and Regina (1999-2003) and has played in Italy since the 2003-04 season. . . .
———
F Jake Virtanen of the Calgary Hitmen was hit with one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions on Saturday. Virtanen drew a kneeing major and game misconduct for a hit on Edmonton D Cody Corbett during the Oil Kings’ 6-0 home-ice victory on Friday night. . . . Corbett didn’t return to the game following the hit. . . . The league is likely to firm up the suspension before Game 3 on Tuesday in Calgary.
———

D Martin Gernat put up four playoff points on Friday night and signed his first NHL contract on Saturday. Not a bad weekend. . . . Gernat had two goals and two assists as his Edmonton Oil Kings beat the visiting Calgary Hitmen 6-0 on Friday night. . . . On Saturday, he signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. He was the 122nd overall selection in the NHL’s 2011 draft. . . . Gernat missed most of this regular season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He finished with 13 points in 23 games, and now has 12 points in seven playoff games. Last season, he had 55 points in 60 games.
———







In Red Deer, the Bentley Generals won the Allan Cup with a 3-0 victory over the Clarenville, Nfld., Caribous 3-0 on Saturday night. . . . Bentley G Dan Bakala was named the tournament’s MVP after going 4-0 with two shutouts. . . . Chris Neiszner, Scott Doucet and Keenan Desmet scored the goals in the championship game. . . . The Generals, who also won in 2009, are the first Alberta team to win more than one Allan Cup.
———

The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 on Tuesday night in Calgary; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland leads series, 2-0; Game 3 on Tuesday night in Kamloops.)
———
SATURDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, G Mac Carruth stopped 27 shots as the Winterhawks blanked the Kamloops Blazers, 4-0. . . . Carruth has three shutouts in these playoffs and seven in his career. . . . In seven April games, Carruth is 7-0, 0.71, .975. . . . F Ty Rattie and F Brendan Leipsic each had a goal and two assists for the Winterhawks. . . . Rattie now has a WHL-leading 25 points in the playoffs, four more than F JC Lipon of Kamloops, who was pointless for a second straight game. . . . The Blazers were 0-for-5 on the PP and now are 0-for-10 in the series. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-for-8 and now are 3-for-11. . . . Rattie’s goal increased his career playoff point total to 82, putting him in a tie for fourth place tie with F Brad Moran (Calgary, 1995-2000) on the alltime list. Rattie then broke the tie with an assist on Portland’s third goal. Another assist put him at 84 points, two behind F Rob Brown (Kamloops, 1983-87), who is in third spot. . . . No doubt disappointing conspiracy theorists, the WHL chose not to suspend Rattie for his checking-from-behind major and game misconduct in the third period of Game 1 on Friday. Kamloops F Chase Souto, who was hit on that play, took a spearing minor at the time, so perhaps the WHL took that into consideration. . . . Rattie also has 43 playoff goals, four off the record held by former Medicine Hat Tigers F Mark Pederson. . . . Carruth set a WHL record for career playoff appearances by a goaltender. This was his 66th postseason game, one more than Cam Ward (Red Deer, 2001-04). . . . Attendance was 9,132. . . . The Blazers hadn’t been blanked in a playoff game since March 23, 2002, when Shane Bendera and the Kelowna Rockets beat them 3-0 in Kamloops. The Blazers played 57 postseason games between blankings.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (19):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
None
———






From Warren Woods (@wwoodsglobal) or Global TV in Regina: “Here in Regina it looks like Hell has frozen over. Which signifies the Leafs are in the playoffs for the first time in 9 yrs #playoffs?”
———
From Saskatchewan Express editor Cam Hutchinson (@camhutchinson): “Flying to Toronto tomorrow to put my lawn chair on the corner of Yonge and Bloor.” #stanleycupparade #leafs”
———
From Stats Canada (@stats_Canada): “The hockey team that scores the most goals wins the game 100% of the time.”

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.

If you haven’t already, head on over to the Boston Globe’s site and check out is coverage of all that has happened in that city since Monday. . . . Make sure you read columnist Kevin Cullen, whose latest offering is right here.
———
How many former WHLers have community service awards named in their honour? Well, former Tri-City Americans F Adam Hughesman, who spent five years with the team, now has his name on just such an award. . . . This is a wonderful story and Annie Fowler of the Tri-City Herald has it all right here.
———







The Allan Cup final in Red Deer will feature Newfoundland’s Clarenville Caribous against the host Bentley Generals. . . . The final starts at 5:30 p.m. MT and will be televised by TSN. . . . The Generals beat the Kenora Thistles 3-2 in their semifinal. . . . “If it’s easy, it’s not worth it. Give them all kinds of credit,” Generals captain Sean Robertson told Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate. .“That was their fourth (game) in four nights and it came right down to the end. We had to dig in a little bit and adapt to what they were doing. We need a little credit there, too, we held on and persevered against a pretty good hockey team in a pretty tough hockey game.” . . . Generals head coach Brandin Cote added: “After they scored their first goal, we panicked a bit, which is uncharacteristic for us. Maybe it was just the pressure of the situation, but at the end of the day we stuck with it anyone who has won a championship has to win those types of games. I’m proud of the guys.” . . . The Caribous beat the Generals 5-3 in the 2011 Allan Cup final in Kenora, Ont. . . . Earlier Friday, the Caribous beat the Rosetown, Sask., Redwings, 6-2.
———
THE COACHING GAME:
Brad Rihela is the new head coach of the junior B Aldergrove Kodiaks of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League. Rihela had been an assistant coach with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. Rihela announced his signing via Twitter on Friday.
———

The WHL’s playoff situation:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Edmonton (1) vs. Calgary (3)
(Series tied 1-1; Game 3 on Tuesday night in Calgary; all games on Shaw TV, with Dan Russell calling the play.)
———
WESTERN CONFERENCE
THIRD ROUND
Portland (1) vs. Kamloops (3)
(Portland leads series, 1-0; Game 2 tonight in Portland.)
———
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Edmonton, G Laurent Brossoit stopped 23 shots to lead the Oil Kings to a 6-0 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Brossoit has four shutouts in these playoffs. . . . D D Martin Gernat scored two goals and added two assists for Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings took a 1-0 lead into the third period when they scored five times, three of them coming via the PP. . . . Edmonton went 4-for-14 on the PP after starting 0-for-9. . . . Calgary, which took 101 of the 147 penalty minutes handed out, was 0-for-4. . . . Edmonton F Henrik Samuelsson, again with his father, Ulf, in the stands, opened the scoring with his eighth goal of these playoffs. He’s got eight snipes now. . . . Edmonton F Mitch Moroz thought perhaps he had scored at 17:52 of the first period to give his side a 2-0 lead. But the goal was disallowed, the ruling being that he had kicked it in. . . . The Hitmen lost F Jake Virtanen to a second-period kneeing major and game misconduct. . . . Edmonton D Cody Corbett, who was hit by Virtanen, left the game and didn’t return. . . . Edmonton F Trevor Cheek scored his seventh playoff goal. He’s scored in four straight games. . . . Calgary F Victor Rask didn’t get a point for the first time in 12 playoff games. . . . The Oil Kings added D Ashton Sautner to their lineup, while taking out D Dysin Mayo. . . . The Hitmen had F Pavlo Padakin back from a knee injury. . . . Calgary F Balder Brooks is playing with a full cage after losing five teeth during practice on Tuesday. He also took 15 stitches to a lip. . . . Attendance was 9,447, the largest playoff crowd in Edmonton this spring (or is it still winter in Edmonton?). . . . The NHL's Calgary Flames played their final home game of the season on Friday night. Immediately after the game, the ice men took out the Flames' logo from centre ice and were replacing it with a Hitmen logo. . . .

In Portland, F Ty Rattie had a goal and two assists and was ejected in the third period as the Winterhawks beat the Kamloops Blazers, 4-1. . . . Rattie broke a 1-1 tie when he scored on a second-period penalty shot. He was awarded the penalty shot after being slashed by D Joel Edmundson while on a breakaway. . . . That was Rattie’s 42nd career playoff goal, leaving him second on the WHL’s all-time list, one ahead of former Flin Flon Bombers star Reg Leach and five in arrears of former Medicine Hat Tigers sniper Mark Pederson. . . . Rattie, who now leads the playoff scoring race with 22 points, was tossed at 18:02 of the third period. He was given a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct for a hit on F Chase Souto. Rattie maintains that Souto speared him to precipitate the hit. Souto was given a spearing minor. . . . Kamloops welcomed back F Colin Smith, who missed three games with a suspected concussion, and F Tim Bozon (hand), who hadn’t played since being injured in a melee at the end of Game 3 in a first-round series on March 26.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (19):
F Brendan Leipsic, Portland
F Pavlo Padakin, Calgary
F Ty Rattie, Portland (major)

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (6):
F Travis Ewanyk, Edmonton
———

From the Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks): “Rattie and Bozon with words en route to the penalty box. Bozon suggested Season 3 was The Wire’s best, Rattie said Season 4.”
(But we all know that it was Season 5, don’t we?)

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 Portland Winterhawks spent Tuesday cutting new deals with Matt Bardsley, their director of hockey operations, assistant coach Kyle Gustafson and Rich Campbell, the athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach. All three now are signed through 2014-15.
What this does is put all of the main players on the same timetable. GM/head coach Mike Johnston and Travis Green, the assistant GM/assistant coach, were signed to four-year extensions through 2014-15 in June 2011. Green, of course, now is acting head coach as he fills in for the suspended Johnston.
Bardsley is in his 14th season with the Winterhawks, while Gustafson is in his 10th season. Campbell joined the Winterhawks in 2008, coming on board when  Bill Gallacher purchased the franchise.
———
The Brandon Wheat Kings have added F Jesse Gabrielle, 15, to their roster for the remainder of this season. Gabrielle was a fifth-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft and is an interesting study. He is a native of Moosomin, Sask., but played this season for the Eagan Wildcats, a high school team in Minnesota, putting up 47 points, 15 of them goals, in 28 games. Because Gabrielle played all of his minor hockey in Moosomin, perhaps the Minnesota high school people won’t look at this as another defection, but, then again, maybe they will. . . . Gabrielle practised with the Wheat Kings on Tuesday and could make his debut on Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings or Saturday when the Swift Current Broncos are in the Wheat City.
———
The United States of Hockey takes a look right here at how “the ongoing recruiting battle between the NCAA and Canadian Hockey League” is impacting Minnesota high school hockey.
This is an interesting read.
———
According to a tweet from his major midget team, the Red Deer Rebels have signed G Taz Burman, a second-round selection, 30th overall, in the 2012 bantam draft. Burman was drafted from the North Shore Winter Club, then played this season with the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the B.C. Major Midget League. This season, Burman was 12-10-1 with a 2.64 GAA in 24 games with the Canadians.
———
D Martin Gernat of the Edmonton Oil Kings will miss the final six games of the regular season as he has, according to the team, returned to Slovakia to “complete exams.” . . . Gernat, 19, has 13 points in 22 games after missing the bulk of the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery.
———
The matchups, if the WHL playoffs opened today:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Edmonton (1) vs. Kootenay (8)
Saskatoon (2) vs. Swift Current (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Medicine Hat (6)
Red Deer (4) vs Prince Albert (5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland (1) vs. Everett (8)
Kelowna (2) vs. Seattle (7)
Kamloops (3) vs. Victoria (6)
Tri-City (4) vs. Spokane (5)
———
TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, F Levi Bews scored twice and added two assists as the Blazers doubled the Prince Albert Raiders, 6-3. . . . Bews has 20 goals this season. . . . F Colby Cave also reached the 20-goal for the Broncos as he scored twice. . . . Broncos G Eetu Laurikainen stopped 33 shots. . . . The Broncos moved into a tie for sixth with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Eastern Conference. Each has five games remaining. . . . The Raiders now are four points behind the fourth-place Red Deer Rebels. . . .

In Red Deer, F Rhyse Dieno drew three assists to help the Rebels beat the Kootenay Ice, 6-4. . . . Dieno, 19, now has 54 points, including 28 assists, in 44 games. . . . F Tyson Ness scored twice for Red Deer, giving him 15. . . . Red Deer D Mathew Dumba broke a 3-3 tie at 14:12 of the second period as he scored his 14th goal. . . . Ness added insurance at 17:53. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau had two goals, giving him 24, and an assist for the Ice. . . . The Rebels appear headed to a first-round matchup with Prince Albert, and Red Deer would hold home-ice advantage. . . .

In Prince George, G Mac Engel turned aside 22 shots to lead the Cougars to a 3-0 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Engel has two shutouts this sason and seven in his career. . . . The Americans had won 6-3 in Prince George on Monday. . . . Last night, Cougars F Troy Bourke scored the game’s first two goals in his 200th regular-season game. He’s got 13. . . . F Zach Pochiro had two assists. . . . F Connor Rankin, who scored two goals Monday, was scratched by the Americans for this one. . . . The Cougars, who had lost five straight, are six points out of the Western Conference’s last playoff spot. They have seven games left to play, but must play six of those on the road. . . . The Americans remain fourth in the conference, a point ahead of the idle Spokane Chiefs. . . .

In Kamloops, F Kale Kessy had two goals and two assists, for his second career four-pointer, as the Blazers dumped the Victoria Royals, 6-0. . . . Kessy has 19 goals. . . . F Colin Smith, F Tim Bozon and D Sam Grist each had a goal and two assists. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 14 shots in recording his sixth shutout of the season and 10th of his career. . . . He shut out the visiting Kelowna Rockets 3-0 on Sunday. The last Blazers goaltender with back-to-back shutouts? Cheveldave did it to the Prince George Cougars in January 2012. . . . The Royals were again without F Alex Gogolev, their leading scorer who is out with an undisclosed injury. He is back skating and it’s hoped he will get into a game or two next week and then be ready for the first round of playoffs. . . . Victoria F Logan Nelson hobbled off the ice at 19:10 of the third period. He appeared to be favouring his left leg. . . . The Cougars had F Matthew Campese in their lineup. Campese, a third-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, is the son of Bruno Campese, the Prince Albert Raiders’ general managre. Matthew plays at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton. Campese came close to scoring at 7:10 of the first period when Cheveldave stopped his redirection. That may have been Cheveldave’s best save. . . . The Blazers are a point behind the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets, who hold two games in hand and will play host to Victoria tonight. . . . The Royals appear headed to a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference. . . .

In Saskatoon, F Cody Sylvester had a goal and five assists and was plus-6, leading the Calgary Hitmen to a 9-5 victory over the Blades. . . . Sylvester moved past F Ryan Getzlaf and into eighth place on Calgary’s career scoring list. Sylvester has 217 points. . . . After the game, Brad Curle, the radio voice of the Hitmen, tweeted that Sylvester had a goal and six assists, which would be a franchise record, so perhaps a scoring change is coming. . . . The Blades have followed an 18-game losing streak with two loses. They had been 18-0-1 in their last 19. . . . The Hitmen, who had lost four in a row, now have one more point than the Blades, who lead the East Division so are the second seed in the Eastern Conference. . . . Sylvester has 34 goals. . . . F Brady Brassart added two goals, giving him 30, and three assists for Calgary, while F Jake Virtanen scored twice, giving him 14. . . . Calgary scored nine goals on 38 shots, driving Saskatoon G Andrey Makarov to the bench in the process. That mean backup Alex Moodie got into a game for the first time since Dec. 30. . . . Calgary D Jaynen Rissling had a goal and two assists, and was plus-5. . . . Saskatoon lost F Michael Ferland, 20, late in the first period. He has an undisclosed injury and is to be re-evaluated today. . . .

In Portland, F Ty Rattie scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 6-3 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . Rattie scored the game’s last two goals, giving him 44. It also left him with 101 points as he became the third member of his line to surpass 100 points. . . . F Nic Petan, who had two assists, leads the WHL with 113 points, while F Brendan Leipsic, who had two helpers, has 111. . . . Portland D Seth Jones scored twice, giving him 12, and added an assist. . . . Portland F Derrick Pouliot (high ankle sprain) played for the first time since Jan. 25. He had one assist. . . . Everett D Landon Oslanski scored twice, giving him 16. . . . Portland, which had lost three straight, won nine of 10 games from Everett this season.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Mike Winther, Prince Albert
D Tyler Hansen, Kamloops

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None
———


From the Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks): "Shoutout to the guy who yelled with 1:01 remaining, ‘How much time is left?’ right as @hawkspipes went into the one minute to play call”


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.

F Alex Forsberg, the first overall selection in the 2010 bantam draft, didn’t return to the Prince George Cougars following the Christmas break. He has asked for a trade.
Sheri Lamb of the Prince George Citizen has the Cougars’ side of the story right here.
Unfortunately, as Lamb writes, “Repeated attempts by The Citizen to contact Forsberg over the telephone and through social media for his comments were ignored, while his Twitter account was shut down last weekend.”
———
The Portland Winterhawks have added D Shaun MacPherson, 18, to their roster. MacPherson, who was in their training camp prior to this season and has been on their protected list, had 18 points in 32 games with the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers. From Edmonton, he played for the midget AAA Knights of Columbus Pats last season, putting up 15 points in 33 games.
———
JUST NOTES:
D Rene Hunter, 19, was back skating with the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday. Hunter, from Ebb and Flow, Man., left the club for personal reasons on Nov. 28. . . . F Mike Ferland, 20, was on the ice with the Wheat Kings yesterday but was wearing a no-contact jersey. He was injured Monday in Edmonton and didn’t play Wednesday in Calgary. . . .
D Martin Gernat of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who hasn’t played all season due to shoulder surgery, is expected to get medical clearance on Monday and could play a couple of weeks after that. Having Gernat, 19, in the lineup will be liking getting a freebie at the trade deadline. The Slovakian had 55 points in 60 games as a freshman last season. . . . Edmonton GM Bob Green has told Evan Daum of the Edmonton Journal that he has spoken with Brandon GM Kelly McCrimmon about Wheat Kings F Mike Ferland, 20. The Oil Kings have room to add a 20-year-old player. . . .
Congrats to former WHL coach Walt Kyle (Seattle, 1992-94) picked up his 200th victory as head coach of the Nortern Michigan Wildcats last night. NMU posted a 6-2 victory over the host St. Cloud State Huskies. Kyle is in his 11th season with the Wildcats.
G Mac Carruth of the Portland Winterhawks will tie a franchise record for career victories should he get the start and beat the Silvertips in Everett tonight. He and Darrell May Sr. share the record, at 105. . . . Carruth is a Chicago Blackhawks draft pick; May scouts for Chicago. . . . Paul Buker of The Oregonian has more right here.
———
FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Saskatoon, F Josh Nicholls scored twice to help the Blades to a 6-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Nicholls, who was playing in his 300th regular-season game with the Blades, leads the WHL with 29 goals. . . . Nicholls also drew an assist, giving him 50 points in 39 games. . . . With 29 goals, Nicholls is five shy of his career high from 2010-11. . . . In his 300 career games, Nicholls has 278 points. . . . Saskatoon F Adam Kambeitz, who also was playing in game No. 300, scored his ninth goal of the season, into an empty net. . . . Saskatoon G Patrick Johnson stopped 36 shots for his second straight victory. . . . The victory lifted the Blades to within eight points of the East Division-leading Raiders. . . . F Anthony Bardaro scored his 16th goal, and his sixth in four games, for the Raiders. . . . You have to live on the Prairies, or to have lived there, to appreciate the promotion the Blades ran last night — it was Ukrainian Night and the Saskatoon goal song apparently was Beer Barrel Polka. . . . The only thing missing was the Schmenge Brothers. . . .

In Regina, F Morgan Klimchuk scored in the circus to give the Pats a 3-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Klimchuk was the only one of six shooters to score in the shootout. . . . Regina F Jack Rodewald forced OT with his fifth goal at 17:42 of the second period. . . . The Pats have won three in a row and four of five. . . .

In Calgary, the Hitmen scored the game’s last five goals and beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 6-1. . . . Calgary F Brooks Macek had a goal, his 20th, and two assists, while D Colby Harmsworth had three assists. A 17-year-old freshman from Saskatoon, Harmsworth went into the game with one assist in 22 games. . . .

In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice ran its winning streak to four games by beating the Swift Current Broncos, 4-1. . . . The Ice has won four in a row for the first time this season. . . . The Broncos have lost three in a row. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart got his 15th goal, shorthanded, and added an assist. . . . Broncos F Adam Lowry drew an assist on his club’s goal, running his point streak to 16 games. . . .

In Red Deer, the Vancouver Giants scored three times in the circus and beat the Rebels, 5-4. . . . F Cain Franson, F Trevor Cheek and D Brett Kulak scored for Vancouver in the shootout; Red Deer got circus goals from F Rhyse Dieno and F Dominik Volek. . . . Volek scored his first two goals of the season in regulation time. . . . Vancouver F Jackson Houck forced OT with his ninth goal at 9:13 of the third. . . . This was the start of a Vancouver road trip in which the Giants will play five games in six nights. . . . G Jared Rathjen, who was acquired from the Victoria Royals on Thursday, backed up Tyler Fuhr for Vancouver. . . . Giants F Lucas Leone, who signed Thursday after playing for the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, had one assist. . . .

In Kamloops, F Kale Kessy scored twice in his first game with the Blazers, as they dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-1. . . . Kessy, who was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night, has 11 goals. . . . He played on a line with Brendan Ranford, who had four assists, and Cole Ully, who scored once and added two assists. . . . Kamloops D Josh Connolly, the younger brother of Tampa Bay Lightning F Brett Connolly, scored his first WHL goal. . . . The Blazers have won three in a row, while the Thunderbirds have lost nine straight. . . .

In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Cougars, 4-2. . . . F Zach Franko had a goal, his 16th, and two assists for the Rockets, while F Myles Bell got his 25th goal and added an assist. . . . The victory kept the Rockets within two points of the B.C. Division-leading Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Rockets, who have won five in a row, play in Prince George again tonight, while the Blazers are idle. . . .  The Cougars hae lost four straight. . . . Prince George had G Nathan Warren of the major midget Cariboo Cougars backing up starter Mac Engel. That’s because Brett Zarowny was ill. The Cougars were missing seven other regulars, as well. . . .

In Victoria, D Michal Plutnar’s OT goal gave the Tri-City Americans a 3-2 victory over the Royals. . . . Plutnar’s second goal of the season came at 4:59 of OT— there was 0.3 left on the clock. . . . Tri-City D Zach Yuen forced extra time with his fourth goal, on the PP, at 10:38 of the second. . . . The Royals had F Alex Gogolev back from an undisclosed injury, but F Logan Nelson, F Luke Harrison and F Ben Walker all were out. . . .

In Everett, F Reid Petryk broke a 2-2 tie at 17:16 of the third period as the Silvertips beat the Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . Petryk’s 11th goal of the season came on a penalty shot. . . . Petryk also scored in the second period. . . .  Everett F Josh Winquist also had a penalty shot. He came up short against G Garrret Hughson at 11:33 of the third. . . . Winquist took the penalty shot in place of F Manraj Hayer who was shaken up when he was hauled down on a breakaway. . . . The Chiefs overcame a 2-0 deficit, with F Blake Gal forcing OT with his sixth goal at 12:13 of the third period on the PP. . . . F Todd Fiddler drew assists on both Spokane goals. . . . D Kevin Davis, the 11th overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft, made his WHL debut with the Silvertips. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton had an assist as he played his 300th regular-season game. . . . Everett is 3-1 since the Christmas break, including three victories within the U.S. Division.
———
CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Tanner Eberle, Moose Jaw
D Brett Lernout, Swift Current

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
F Bryson Gore, Moose Jaw
F Chase Clayton, Calgary
———






From Tampa Bay Lightning F Brett Connolly (@bconnolly8): “@jconnolly02 congrats on your first of many goals. Don’t stop at 1. #stayhot”

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.