Oil Kings crowned kings of the WHL

F Gilbert Brulé (Vancouver, 2002-06) has signed a one-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Russia, KHL). This season, with the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL), he was pointless in three games. In 11 games with the Portland Pirates (AHL), he had 12 points, including 12 goals. . . .

F Roman Horák (Chilliwack, 2009-11) has signed a one-year contract with Vityaz Podolsk (Russia, KHL). This season with the Calgary Flames/Edmonton Oilers, Horák had one goal in three games. With the Abbotsford Heat/Oklahoma City Barons (AHL), he had 55 points, 23 of them goals, in 66 games.
---
G Justin Myles’ stint with the Kamloops Blazers is over, and he never did get into a game.
In January, the Blazers sent G Taran Kozun to the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for Myles, D Austin Douglas and a fourth-round selection in the 2015 bantam draft.
However, Myles, who is from Calgary, was injured and never did play for the Blazers.
On Monday, the Blazers dealt Myles, 19, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft.
Kamloops also has received a 2016 fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft from Seattle as compensation for Myles.
The Blazers are expected to open next season with Bolton Pouliot, 20, as their starter. Cole Kehler, 17, is No. 2 on the depth chart, after getting into 11 games this season. Connor Ingram, 17, of the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, who won the Telus Cup, and Dylan Ferguson, 16, of the midget AAA Notre Dame Argos also are in the picture.
Myles joins Teagan Sacher, who turns 20 on Dec. 1, Jarrod Schamerhorn, 19, Jonny Hogue, 18, and Stuart Skinner, who will be 16 on Nov. 1, as goaltenders on the Lethbridge roster who have seen action in the WHL.
---
The Moose Jaw Warriors have acquired F Kolten Olynek, 18, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes for F Miles Warkentine, 18.
Olynek, from Saskatoon, had 12 points, including four goals, in 57 games with the Hurricanes this season. He was a second-round pick, 26th overall, in the 2011 bantam draft.
After an injury-filled freshman season, Warkentine, from Prince Albert, had 12 points, three of them goals, in 65 games with the Warriors this season. Moose Jaw selected him 16th overall in the 2011 bantam draft.
---


1. Travis Green, the head coach of the AHL’s Utica Comets, was in the house in Portland on Tuesday night as the Winterhawks lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 7 of the WHL final. Green spent most of last season as the Winterhawks’ head coach, with GM/head coach Mike Johnston suspended. Stu Walters of Shaw-TV reported that Green watched Game 6 of the WHL final in Anaheim, while communicating with Portland assistant GM Matt Bardsley. With the Oil Kings leading 5-2, Green apparently told Bardsley that if the Winterhawks came back and won, he would be in Portland for Game 7. They did and he was.


2. The Memorial Cup field will be rounded out tonight when Game 7 of the QMJHL final is played in Baie-Comeau between the Drakkar and the Val-d’Or Foreurs.

3. The Memorial Cup is to be played in London, Ont., and will open Friday with the host Knights meeting the QMJHL champion. The Edmonton Oil Kings, who won the WHL title last night in Portland, open Saturday against the OHL-champion Guelph Storm. . . . The Oil Kings then meet London on Saturday.

4. Late night tweet from the Guelph Storm (@Storm_City): “Hey @EdmOilKings, we found some ice time in London on Saturday. Are you in?”

5. Response from the Edmonton Oil Kings (@EdmOilKings): “It's a date!”

6. G Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers drew a $5,000 fine for squirting Sir Sidney Crosby with water during a playoff game on Sunday night. . . . Earlier in these playoffs, F Milan Lucic was fined $5,000 for spearing Detroit Red Wings D Danny DeKeyser in the jewels. . . . Boston F Shawn Thornton was fined $2,820.52 for squirting water in the face of Montreal Canadiens D P.K. Subban. . . . All of these are the maximum allowed under the CBA, which makes one wonder if that part was negotiated near the end of an all-nighter.

7. Remember when the NHL said it was going to crack down on obstruction and that penalties would be called in the playoffs just like they are in the regular season? Did you believe the NHL at the time? If so, do you now feel shame?

8. If you were wondering, Brett Iverson will be the WHL referee to work Memorial Cup games in London.
---
THE COACHING GAME:
Jason Williamson, the general manager and head coach of the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers, got a new two-year contract last week. Williamson, 33, who is coaching the host team for the RBC Cup this week, was in the final year of a three-year contract. . . . Associate coach Kris Mallette also will return to the Vipers next season, as will assistant coach Dave Robinson.
---
Bob Prier has resigned after three seasons as head coach of the Princeton U Tigers, who were 6-26-0 this season. Prier, who resigned Monday, had a 25-58-12 record at Princeton.
---
The junior B Grand Forks Border Bruins of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League have signed Brad Snyder as their general manager and head coach. Snyder, from Flin Flon, Man., replaces Kevin Flather, who had been hired Nov. 7 to replace Nick Deschenes, who left early in the season to join the staff of the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters.
---

THE FOURTH ROUND (best-of-seven):
WHL final, for the Ed Chynoweth Cup
PORTLAND (2, West) vs. Edmonton (1, East)(Edmonton wins, 4-3)
Season series: Portland, 0-0-1; Edmonton, 1-0-0.
Saturday: Edmonton 2 at Portland 5 (10,947)
Sunday: Edmonton 1 at Portland 3 (10,645)
Tuesday: Portland 2 at Edmonton 3 (6,799)
Wednesday: Portland 0 at Edmonton 2 (7,859)
Friday: Edmonton 3 at Portland 2 (10,947)
Sunday: Portland 6 at Edmonton 5 (OT) (11,902)
Monday: Edmonton 4 at Portland 2 (10,095)
---

MONDAY’S GAME:
In Portland, the Edmonton Oil Kings erased a 1-0 deficit with four goals in the second period and went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup with a 4-2 victory over the defending-champion Winterhawks. . . . The Oil Kings, who won four of the last five games in the series, took the best-of-seven series 4-3. . . . The Memorial Cup opens Friday in London, Ont., with the host Knights playing the QMJHL champion, which will be decided tonight. . . . The Oil Kings open Saturday against the OHL-champion Guelph Storm. . . . In 10 previous WHL championship Game 7s, the home team was 10-0. . . . This was the third time in as many years that the same teams met in the WHL final. Edmonton won two years ago; the Winterhawks won last season. In the three finals, each team won 10 times. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand opened the scoring at 4:42 of the first period, going coast-to-coast and beating G Tristan Jarry off the right wing, high to the long side, moments after G Brendan Burke had come up big on Edmonton F Mitch Moroz. . . . The Oil Kings came close to tying it a short time later while on the game’s first PP, but F Curtis Lazar was ruled to have kicked the puck into the net with his left foot. . . . Edmonton tied it when F Mitch Moroz waltzed from the right wing across the slot and beat Burke at 3:50 of the second. . . . With the Winterhawks on the PP but looking the more tired of the two teams, Lazar scored shorthanded at 9:02 for a 2-1 lead. . . . Just 40 seconds later, F Reid Petryk drove to the net and got the puck through Burke for a 3-1 lead. . . . Edmonton finished off the period with F Mads Eller scoring on a 3-on-1 break at 17:17. . . . Portland didn’t score again until F Brendan Leipsic beat Jarry on a PP at 16:38 of the third period. . . . Portland was 1-for-5 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-2. . . . Jarry finished with 32 saves, three more than Burke. . . . Edmonton D Griffin Reinhart was selected as the MVP of the playoffs. Reinhart was injured last season and didn’t play in the championship series. . . . Bjorkstrand and Leipsic tied for the playoff scoring lead, each with 33 points. Bjorkstrand led the playoffs in goals (16) and Portland D Derrick Pouliot was tops in assists (27).
---

From Edmonton Journal sports columnist John MacKinnon (@rjmackinnon), after the post-game trophy presentations: “#WHL pres. Ron Robison gets the boos in Portland. Fans don't forgive or forget, apparently. Yikes.”

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.

Winterhawks into fourth straight Western Conference final

G Dusan Salficky (Tri-City, 1990-91) has announced his retirement to become sports club manager at Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season with Pardubice, Salficky was 2.30 and .926 in 15 games. . . .
F Derek Ryan (Spokane, 2003-07) has signed a two-year contract with Örebro (Sweden, SEL). He played this season with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), putting up 84 points, including 38 goals, in 54 games. Ryan led the league in goals and plus-minus (plus-26), and was second in points. He was named the league’s MVP, winning the Ron Kennedy Trophy. Kennedy is a former WHL player (Estevan/New Westminster, 1970-73) and head coach (Medicine Hat, 1988-1990). Kennedy was head coach of the Austrian national team (1996-2002) for six world championships and two Olympics. . . .
F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) signed a one-year extension with Örebro (Sweden, SEL). This season, in 50 games, he had 27 points, including seven goals.
---

The NHL has been hit by a second concussion-related lawsuit. This one, filed in the United States District Court Southern District of New York, includes the names of ex-players Dan LaCouture, Dan Keczmer, Jack Carlson, Richard Brennan, Brad Maxwell, Michael Peluso, Tom Younghans, Allan Rourke and Scott Bailey. . . . If you are so inclined, the filing is right here.
Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports has more on the lawsuit right here, including the fact that Gordie Howe isn’t dead, as the lawsuit claims.
Jeff Z. Klein and Ken Belson of The New York Times have more on the lawsuit right here.
---
Roy Sommer played one game with the Edmonton Oil Kings and two seasons (1975-77) with the Calgary Centennials, back in the early days of the WHL. He also spent a season (1988-89) as an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Today, he is a veteran of the AHL coaching wars and is with the Worcester Sharks. On Wednesday night, his son, Marley, who has Down syndrome and is autistic, sang the American national anthem prior to a hockey game. You should watch it right here.
---
The Tri-City Americans have named D Justin Hamonic, 20, as their captain for the 2014-15 season. Hamonic becomes the 26th captain in the franchise’s history. Hamonic, from Winnipeg, just completed his third WHL season. In 183 regular-season games, he has 27 points, including two goals. . . . He has spent all three seasons with the Americans, who selected him in the fifth round of the WHL’s 2009 bantam draft. . . . Hamonic served as the Americans’ interim captain for the last two months of this season with D Mitch Topping out with an injury.
---
The WHL’s Western Conference final will open with games in Kelowna on April 18 and 19. Game 1 is to begin at 7:30 p.m., with Game 2 to start at 7:05. . . . It likely is safe to assume that the 7:30 start time on a Friday night is for the benefit of a potential Sportsnet telecast.
---
The CHL announced Thursday that the annual Subway Super Series, featuring CHL all-star teams against a touring Russian side, will begin in the WHL next season and then run through the OHL and then finish up in the QMJHL. . . . The six-game series will be played from Nov. 10 through Nov. 20. . . . The series will begin in Saskatoon on Nov. 10, with the next game scheduled for Nov. 11 in a WHL city yet to be named. . . . The OHL games will be played in Peterborough on Nov. 13, with the next game in Kingston on Nov. 17. . . . Then the series will move on to the QMJHL centres of Acadie-Bathurst (Nov. 18) and Rimouski (Nov. 20). This will be the first time the series has concluded in Quebec. . . . The entire series will be televised by Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
---
D Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds will finish his season with the Norfolk Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Theodore was a first-round selection by the Ducks in the NHL’s 2013 draft. Theodore, who turns 19 on Aug. 3, just completed his third season with Seattle, which was swept from a second-round series by the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night.
---
A WHL team that is looking for a general manager should be at least considering a chat with Matt Bardsley, the assistant GM with the Portland Winterhawks. Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune has more on Bardsley right here.
---
Paul Lukas of ESPN.com reports that some fans of the Cleveland Indians are “de-Chiefing” -- removing the Chief Wahoo logo from jerseys and caps that they have purchased. It is, writes Lukas, “a form of silent protest by a small but growing number of Indians fans who love their team but are opposed to the Wahoo logo, which they view as an offensive caricature. They say they're not accusing pro-Wahoo fans of being racists or telling them what they should or shouldn't wear. They've simply made a decision not to wear the Chief themselves.” . . . There’s more right here.

---

THE SECOND ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
EDMONTON (1) vs. BRANDON (7)
(Edmonton leads, 3-1)
Season series: Edmonton, 3-1-0; Brandon, 1-2-1.
Thursday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 5 (5,899)
Saturday: Brandon 0 at Edmonton 3 (7,115)
Tuesday: Edmonton 5 at Brandon 2 (3,522)
Wednesday: Edmonton 2 at Brandon 5 (3,246)
Friday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
x-Monday: Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
INJURIES
Edmonton: F Brandon Baddock, day-to-day; D Blake Orban, day-to-day.
Brandon: G Curtis Honey, day-to-day.
---
MEDICINE HAT (4) vs. KOOTENAY (6)
(Kootenay leads, 3-1)
Season series: Medicine Hat, 3-3-0; Kootenay, 3-3-0.
Saturday: Kootenay 4 at Medicine Hat 2 (3,750)
Sunday: Kootenay 2 at Medicine Hat 5 (3,755)
Wednesday: Medicine Hat 1 at Kootenay 3 (2,461)
Thursday: Medicine Hat 4 at Kootenay 7 (2,578)
Saturday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
x-Monday: Medicine Hat at Kootenay, 7 p.m.
x-Wednesday: Kootenay at Medicine Hat, 7 p.m.
(NOTE: Kootenay plays home games in Cranbrook, B.C.)
INJURIES
Medicine Hat: F Gavin Broadhead, day-to-day; F Hunter Shinkaruk, indefinite.
Kootenay: F Tim Bozon, indefinite; F Ryan Chynoweth, indefinite; D Tyler King, day-to-day; D Tanner Faith, 3-5 months.
---
WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. SEATTLE (4)
(Kelowna wins, 4-0)
Season series: Kelowna, 2-1-1; Seattle, 2-1-1.
Thursday: Seattle 2 at Kelowna 6 (4,581)
Saturday: Seattle 3 at Kelowna 6 (5,675)
Tuesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 4 (5,029)
Wednesday: Kelowna 5 at Seattle 2 (2,219)
INJURIES
Kelowna: F Myles Bell, week-to-week.
---
PORTLAND (2) vs. VICTORIA (3)
(Portland wins, 4-1)
Season series: Portland, 1-1-2; Victoria, 3-1-0.
Friday: Victoria 2 at Portland 8 (6,152)
Saturday: Victoria 3 at Portland 6 (10,947)
Monday: Portland 1 at Victoria 2 (6,505)
Tuesday: Portland 4 at Victoria 3 (6,745)
Thursday: Victoria 1 at Portland 5 (8,083)
INJURIES
Portland: None.
Victoria: None.
---
THE THIRD ROUND (best-of-seven; all times local):
(x - if necessary)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
KELOWNA (1) vs. PORTLAND (2)
Friday, April 18: Portland at Kelowna, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 19: Portland at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Remainder of series TBA.
---
THURSDAY’S GAMES:

 In Cranbrook, the Kootenay Ice scored the games last goals, five of them in the third period and two of them into an empty net, as it dumped the Medicine Hat Tigers, 7-4. . . . The Ice leads the second-round series 3-1 and gets its first chance to wrap it up when the teams play Game 5 in Medicine Hat on Saturday night. . . . F Jaedon Descheneau got back on track with three goals for the Ice. Descheneau had picked up 17 points in six games in a first-round victory over the Calgary Hitmen, but was pointless in the first three games with the Tigers. . . . He now has 20 points, including a WHL-leading 10 goals, in 10 games. . . . The Ice got a goal and three assists from F Luke Philp, who has 12 points, five of them goals, in 10 games, and three assists from F Sam Reinhart. He leads the WHL in assists (16) and points (22). . . . Descheneau opened the scoring, on a PP, at 2:24 of the first period. . . . The Tigers then rattled off four straight goals, with F Chad Labelle getting it started at 8:11 of the first. . . . D Dylan Bredo, F Myles Koules and F Curtis Valk added second-period goals in a span of 2:59, sending Ice G Mackenzie Skapski to the bench in the process. He surrendered four goals on 18 shots. . . . Wyatt Hoflin came on to stop all 21 shots he faced. . . . Philp got the Ice to within 4-2 at 16:26 of the second. . . . D Rinat Valiev cut it to 4-3 at 12:16 of the third and Descheneau tied it at 15:45, then got the winner at 17:54. . . . Tigers G Marek Langhamer stopped 26 shots. . . . Each team was 1-for-2 on the PP. . . . According to Trevor Crawley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman, there may be a scoring change involving the goal that was credited to Valiev. “Reinhart apparently got his stick on” Valiev’s point shot, according to Crawley. . . . Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ general manager and head coach, told Darren Steinke of the Medicine Hat News: "We didn't finish it. I don't know if we got thinking a little bit too far ahead and were thinking about winning the game instead of just the shift in front of us. I sensed that might have happened, where some of the guys were just a little bit out in front of themselves. We just have to play each shift. On the flip side, you have to give them lots of credit."


In Portland, the Winterhawks advanced to their fourth straight Western Conference final with a 5-1 victory over the Victoria Royals. . . . The Winterhawks won the second-round series, 4-1, and will open the conference final against the Rockets in Kelowna on April 18. . . . The Rockets are the conference’s No. 1 seed; the defending-champion Winterhawks are No. 2. . . . Kelowna won all four regular-season meetings, outscoring Portland 28-10 I the process. Kelowna won 9-3 and 7-2 in Portland on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, after posting 6-2 and 6-3 victories at home on Oct. 4 and 5. . . . The Winterhawks took control last night with the only two goals of the first period, F Taylor Leier scoring on a PP at 13:46 and F Adam de Champlain scoring at 19:26. . . . Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand, celebrating his 19th birthday, got his ninth goal at 10:31 of the second for a 3-0 edge. . . . Victoria F Steven Hodges scored at 15:11 of the second, on a PP. . . . The Winterhawks got that one back at 12:22 of the third when F Chase De Leo counted. . . . De Leo scored again, his fifth of the playoffs, at 17:57, on a PP. . . . Bjorkstrand also had three assists, leaving him with 19 points in nine playoff games. Including the regular-season, he has 128 points, 59 of them goals, in 78 games. . . . The Winterhawks outscored the Royals 9-1 in third periods and 25-11 in total. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic had one assist, running his point streak to 16 games, going back to the regular season. He’s got 30 points, including 13 goals, in those 16 games. He had 10 points in the series. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot earned two assists, giving him at least one assist in nine straight games. . . . This game had some nastiness in it with a melee at the end of the second period that resulted in game misconducts to Pouliot, along with Victoria D Joe Hicketts and Hodges. . . . At 15:10 of the third period, Portland F Nic Petan ended up down on the ice after a hit from Victoria F Brandon Magee, who was assessed a match penalty for attempt to injure. Should Magee return for his 20-year-old season, you have to think he’ll miss the start with a suspension of some sort. . . . Petan ended up taking an instigating penalty and a game misconduct for a scrap with Victoria D Ryan Gagnon. . . . The Royals ended up with 88 of 151 penalty minutes. . . . According to Portland freelancer Scott Sepich: “Petan was coherent and talking with (Winterhawks GM/head coach Mike) Johnston and teammates in the locker-room.” . . . A tweet from Mike Walker (@MikeWalkerCHEK) of Victoria TV station CHEK: “That was a malicious crosscheck to the head from Magee on Petan. The series is over. No need to go out on that note.” . . . And one from Kelley Robinett (@kdrobinett), the Winterhawks’ senior vice-president, operations and marketing: “Embarrassing display by Victoria late with the game out of reach.” . . . The story that Sepich filed for The Oregonian is right here.
---

From Bruce Luebke (@wheatkingsvoice), the play-by-play voice of the Brandon Wheat Kings: “Oilers play tonight so today’s practice would be decided in a shootout if it goes beyond the three regulation drills and two OT drills.”

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.

Some moves in Portland

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Chris Mason (Victoria/Prince George, 1993-97) signed a one-year contract with Ritten/Renon (Italy, Serie A). He had a 3.73 GAA and a .873 save percentage in 11 games with the Nashville Predators (NHL) last season. . . .


F Stefan Meyer (Medicine Hat, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers (England, UK Elite). He had 12 goals and 10 assists in 39 games with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) last season.
———


The Portland Winterhawks have hired Karl Taylor as their new assistant coach and moved Matt Bardsley from director of hockey operations to assistant general manager. . . . The moves were necessitated when Travis Green, their assistant GM/assistant coach, took on the head coaching job with the AHL’s Utica Comets. . . . Taylor, a native of North Bay, Ont., spent six seasons (2005-11) as a head coach in the ECHL. In 2011-12, he was an assistant coach with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. . . . As well, Kyle Gustafson, who has done a lot of the club’s video work, will get more responsibilities as an assistant coach and will be on the bench during games. He spent the last half of last season on the bench with Green after GM/head coach Mike Johnston was suspended by the WHL.
———
The 2013 Hockey Coaches Conference is 95 per cent sold out, which means there still is time for more coaches to register. . . . Included on the conference’s agenda will be on-ice presentations by Derek Popke and Yogi Svejkovsky of the Vancouver Hockey School. The title of their presentation will be The Foundations of Checking. . . . Popke is the founder of Vancouver Hockey School and is a highly respected skating coach who also has made regular appearances on Dan Russell’s SportsTalk where they have discussed minor hockey-related issues. . . . Svejkovsky, a former WHL and NHL player, is a skills coach with the Vancouver Giants and the founder and director of the B.C. Bears spring program.
“This presentation will be more relevant than ever in light of the recent Hockey Canada ban on body checking at the peewee level,” said Aaron Wilbur, managing director of The Coaches Site, in a news release. “Derek and Yogi will be able to provide invaluable information to coaches on how to prepare players for the contact side of hockey.”
The clinic runs this weekend, starting Friday and running through Sunday, at the Delta Hotel & Conference Centre in Burnaby. Register online at www.thecoachessite.com, or click on the banner ad at the top of this web page.
———
If you are so inclined, visit the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s website right here and give a read to the regulations that will be in play this season as they pertain to fighting.
———
And now for something completely different. . . . If you click right here, you will go to lonelyplanet.com and a list of the 10 greatest bookshops in our world. Seriously!
———
Olympic athletes and gay rights activists are making lots of noise about Russia’s stand against gay rights. But, as Jere Longman of The New York Times writes right here, IOC officials have had a tepid response, if that.
———
And right here is perhaps the most interesting story of the day. It involves ESPN analyst Jay Bilas and some NCAA hypocrisy.
———






From F Axel Blomqvist (@AxelBlomqvist) of the Lethbridge Hurricanes: “Pretty pumped about signing an ato contract with the winnipeg jets. Back to lethy in a couple of weeks then Winnipeg a week after that.”
———
From Vancouver broadcaster Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff): “Had fun doing some @WHLGiants broadcasts last season. Was told tonight, not part of their plans for coming season.”
Paterson is a former radio voice of the Kamloops Blazers.


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.