Showing posts with label Matt Fonteyne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Fonteyne. Show all posts

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Ice close to new ownership? . . . Mumps not finished with WHL yet . . . Hitmen grab last playoff spot




F Kyle Beach (Everett, Lethbridge, Spokane, 2005-10) has signed a two-year contract with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). This season, with the Graz 99ers (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), he had a team-high 30 goals, along with 15 assists, in 54 games. . . .
F Brandon Kozun (Calgary, 2006-10) has signed a one-year extension with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (Russia, KHL). He led the team in scoring this season, with 56 points, 23 of them goals, in 59 games. Kozun was named the KHL’s forward of the week three times in the regular season and once during the playoffs.
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 Guy Flaming, the host of The PipeCast and the analyst on Edmonton Oil Kings broadcasts, tweeted Friday evening that the Kootenay Ice franchise was “very close” to being sold to “the local group in Cranbrook.”
That group is believed to include Colin Sinclair, a former Ice captain who has a business degree and an MBA. Among other things, he is the controller and co-founder of Spartan Scaffolding Ltd., a Cranbrook-based business.
A native of Brooks, Alta., Sinclair, 35, played five seasons (1998-2003) with the Ice. He attended the U of New Brunswick for four years, before going on to a brief professional career.
When news of this group first surfaced early this season, it was believed to also included two former WHL/NHL defencemen — Robyn Regehr and Rhett Warrener. Regehr spent three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers; Warrener played three seasons with the Saskatoon Blades. Regehr and Warrener were teammates with the NHL’s Calgary Flames from 2003-08.
The Ice played its final home game last night, losing 6-1 to the Calgary Hitmen before 2,139 fans. According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Ice averaged 1,754 fans per game this season. Last season, that figure was 1,957, down from 2,239 in 2014-15.
The WHL had hoped to have the Ice under new ownership and relocated to Nanaimo in time to start the 2017-18 season. But any hopes of that happening were dashed a week ago when Nanaimo voters resoundingly defeated a referendum by which the city asked for the OK to borrow $80 million in order to build an events centre that would include an arena. The WHL had gone so far as to enter into a memorandum of understanding through which it guaranteed a franchise to Nanaimo, along with a 20-year lease.
The Chynoweth family has been trying to sell the Ice since at least 2012.
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It seems the mumps virus isn’t through with the WHL just yet.
A source familiar with the situation told Taking Note on Friday night that G Jordan Papirny of the Swift Current Broncos has the WHL’s latest confirmed case of mumps.
JORDAN PAPIRNY
Papirny, 20, hasn’t played since March 7. He wasn’t in uniform again last night as the Broncos posted a 2-1 victory over the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors.
Papirny, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings in January, has 119 career victories, which may be one shy of the WHL record for regular-season victories by a goaltender. Unofficially, that record is shared by Tyson Sexsmith (Vancouver Giants, 2004-09) and Corey Hirsch (Kamloops Blazers, 1988-92).
The Broncos close out their regular season tonight in Moose Jaw.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Thunderbirds haven’t yet released results of tests involving F Mathew Barzal. He took the warmup prior to March 10 game against the visiting Everett Silvertips but was feeling ill and went to the dressing room before the game started. He now has missed three games.
The Thunderbirds are scheduled to entertain the Portland Winterhawks tonight in Kent, Wash.
At the same time, the Edmonton Oil Kings have cancelled their traditional post-game autograph session that was to be held after Sunday’s game against the Red Deer Rebels. That move comes despite it being the last game of the Oil Kings’ season. They won’t be in the playoffs.
“Due to the number of recent cases of outbreaks of mumps in Canada and the United States, our organization is continuing to commit to refraining from any direct interaction with fans,” reads a news release from the Oil Kings. “While there is still an extremely low risk of spectators contracting the virus, our main concern is for the health and welfare of our fans and players.
“While we appreciate this is the final game of the season, with there being more cases as of late it unfortunately became necessary to cancel this event for the protection of the fans and players. While our team staff and players have shown no symptoms of the virus, confirmed cases within our league and other leagues have been reported as recently as this week.”
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Ron Toigo, the majority owner of the Vancouver Giants, said Friday that the decision to move the franchise from the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver to the Langley Events Centre “was very good . . . the
RON TOIGO
team was not.”
Speaking on Vancouver radio station TSN 1040, Toigo added that “we identified we need to really build for the future and made that decision before the trading deadline. At the trading deadline, we went all-in.
“It’s been rough for the guys since then, but overall I think the (season) was successful for being at Langley. The building’s certainly going through a transition on how to manage events of this size. They’re certainly light years ahead of where they were at the beginning of the (season) and I think next (season) will even be that much better. We enjoy being there. We enjoy the ambience there, the fan interaction . . . it’s a lot of fun to be there, even the way the team’s been playing.”
The Giants were 16-23-3 at the Jan. 10 trade deadline. Since then, they are 4-21-3. 
The LEC seats 5,276, a figure that includes 24 suites. According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Giants go into their final home game averaging 3,831 fans per game. They will miss the playoffs for a third straight season and for the fourth time in five seasons.
Still, Toigo said, the response at the ticket office has been great.
“We’ve basically been sold out for the season,” he said, “even though there’s been a lot of no-shows. It’s been standing room only for the last couple months even with the way the team’s been playing.
“When we start winning, and we’ll be a lot better next (season), it’s going to be a lot of fun to be there.”
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have signed D Koletrane Wilson to a WHL contract. Wilson, 17, was a fourth-round selection in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. A native of Edmonton, Wilson, 17, played this season with the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders, putting up one goal and 10 assists in 45 games. . . . The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is the younger brother of former WHL F Klarc Wilson (Brandon, Edmonton, Prince George, 2009-14).
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The WHL has honoured Herman Elfring, a longtime member of the Lethridge Hurricanes’ board of directors, with a 2016-17 Distinguished Service Award. Elfring was on the Hurricanes’ board for 23 seasons, including 21 (1994-2016) as governor. He also spent 10 years on the WHL’s finance committee. . . . Elfring retired as governor prior to this season.
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While two B.C.-based junior hockey teams — the WHL’s Kootenay Ice and the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers — have For Sale tags hanging from them, the junior B Port Moody Panthers have been sold.
The Panthers, who play in the Pacific Junior Hockey League, have been sold by a group led by Dennis Obcena and Frank Iantorno to a new ownership groups. Partners in the new group prefer to remain anonymous.
The transfer of ownership has been approved by the nine other PJHL governors.
The Panthers’ new owners have already brought in a new general manager, with Peter Zerbinos taking over from Obcena.
Zerbinos isn’t a stranger to the PJHL, having spent eight seasons with the Delta Ice Hawks, six as director of hockey operations and two as general manager. Under Obcena, the Ice Hawks won the PJHL title in 2012 and also reached the championship final in 2010.
This season, the Panthers finished 16-27-0-1, leaving them fifth in the five-team Tom Shaw Conference. They didn’t qualify for the playoffs.
The 2017-18 season with be the Panthers’ 12th in Port Moody.
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If the playoffs began today . . . 
Eastern Conference
Regina vs. Calgary
Medicine Hat vs. Brandon
Moose Jaw vs. Swift Current
Lethbridge vs. Red Deer
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Western Conference
Everett vs. Victoria
Prince George vs. Tri-City
Kelowna vs. Kamloops
Seattle vs. Portland
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:


At Kamloops, F Jesse Gabrielle scored two goals to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 victory over
JESSE GABRIELLE
the Blazers. . . . The teams will meet again tonight in Prince George, with the Cougars (45-21-5), who have won three in a row, needing one point to clinch first place in the B.C. Division. They go into the game with a two-point lead over the Kelowna Rockets, who will finish up against the Vancouver Giants in Langley, B.C. If the Cougars and Rockets end up tied for first place, Kelowna will win it on the third tiebreaker. Each will have 45 victories and they split the season series, 4-4-0. The Rockets will end on having a better goals-for minus goals-against ratio. . . . The Blazers (41-24-6) have won their previous three games. They will meet the second-place finisher in the first round of playoffs. . . . Last night, the Cougars, who dominated the neutral zone and forced an untold number of turnovers, scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F Kody McDonald scored his 17th goal at 18:08 of the first period. . . . Gabrielle, who has 35 goals, scored at 3:47 and 7:36 of the second period, with F Nikita Popugaev getting the primary assist on both goals. . . . F Nic Holowko (7) scored for Kamloops at 9:37 of the second. . . . The Cougars got two assists from D Josh Anderson. . . . G Ty Edmonds stopped 24 shots to earn his 100th career regular-season victory. . . . The Blazers got 35 stops from G Connor Ingram. . . . Prince George was 0-2 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 4,973.
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At Kelowna, F Kole Lind had a goal and three assists to help the Rockets to a 7-0 victory over the
KOLE LIND
Vancouver Giants. . . . The Rockets (44-22-5) are second in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Prince George Cougars. If the Cougars lost at home to the Kamloops Blazers tonight and Kelowna beats Vancouver in Langley, B.C., the Rockets will finish atop the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (43-23-5) have lost two in a row. . . . Kelowna is 6-1-0 in the season series. In winning the last four games, the Rockets have posted three shutouts and outscored the Giants 26-1. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 21 shots to record his second shutout this season and the fifth of his career. . . . The Giants got 31 saves from G David Tendeck. . . . F Reid Gardiner gave the Rockets a 1-0 lead with his 17th goal just 52 seconds into the game. . . . F Nolan Foote upped it to 2-0 with No. 18, on a PP, at 12:15. . . . F Rod Southam added two goals, giving him 19, with F Kyle Topping (14), D James Hilsendager (6) and Lind (29) also scoring. . . . F Nick Merkley and F Calvin Thurkauf each had two assists, with Gardiner and Foote each picking up one. . . . Kelowna was 3-8 on the PP; Vancouver never got even one opportunity. . . . The Giants took 52 of the game’s 78 penalty minutes. . . . Announced attendance: 5,438.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Beck Malenstyn scored three times, sparking the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-1 victory
BECK MALENSTYN
over the Kootenay Ice. . . . The Hitmen (29-32-10) clinched the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot with the victory and will meet the Regina Pats in the first round. . . . The Ice (14-45-12) has lost nine in a row (0-7-2). . . . Calgary took control with three goals in a span of 1:48 early in the second period. . . . F Jake Kryski scored his 20th goal at 4:16. . . . F Tyler Mrkonjic (8) made it 2-0 at 5:12. . . . Malenstyn upped it to 3-0 at 6:04. . . . F Max Patterson (8) scored for the Ice, on a PP, at 15:03. . . . Calgary put it away with three third-period goals. Malenstyn scored at 3:59. F Matteo Gennaro got No. 43, on a PP, at 5:15. Malenstyn completed the hat trick with his 32nd goal, shorthanded, at 11:59. . . . D Jake Bean had three assists for Calgary, with Kryski and Gennaro adding one each. . . . Calgary G Cody Porter stopped 20 shots. . . . G Payton Lee turned aside 32 shots for Kootenay. Lee, 20, is from Cranbrook so was playing the final game of his WHL career at home. . . . Kootenay was 1-3 on the PP; Calgary was 1-5. . . . D Sam Huston and F Keenan Taphorn, both out with shoulder injuries, were among the Ice’s scratches. Taphorn was injured on Tuesday during a 3-2 OT loss to the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. In the second period, with the Ice on the long change, Edmonton G Josh Dechaine was headed to the bench on a delayed penalty when he collided with Taphorn, who obviously got the worst of it. . . . Announced attendance: 2,139.
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At Lethbridge, F James Hamblin scored two goals as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated to a 5-1 victory over
JAMES HAMBLIN
the Hurricanes. . . . The Tigers scored the game’s first three goals. . . . F John Dahlstrom (30) got it started with a PP goal at 12:52 of the first period. . . . Hamblin scored at 18:30. . . . F Chad Butcher made it 3-0 with his 27th goal at 3:30 of the second period. . . . F Ryan Bowen (11) got Lethbridge’s goal, shorthanded, at 7:33 of the second period. . . . Medicine Hat got that one back when F Mark Rassell (35) counted at 9:31. . . . Hamblin’s 21st goal closed out the scoring at 12:08 of the third period. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko had three assists for the winners, while Butcher had one. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 32 shots for the Tigers. They were without G Nick Schneider (personal), so had Duncan McGovern backing up Bullion. . . . Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News later tweeted that Shaun Clouston, the Tigers’ GM/head coach, had “confirmed that Schneider has gone home for medical reasons but is (expected) to return for playoffs.” . . . The Hurricanes got 37 stops from G Stuart Skinner. . . . Medicine Hat was 1-4 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-8. . . . The Tigers lost F Matt Bradley to a spearing major and game misconduct at 19:56 of the first period. . . . The Hurricanes continue to play without F Matt Alfaro and F Zak Zborosky. . . . The Tigers (50-20-1) have won at least 50 games for the fourth time in franchise history. . . . The Hurricanes (44-20-7) will finish second in the Central Division. . . . Announced attendance: 5,203.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored two goals and added two assists, while F Sam Steel scored his 50th goal, as the Pats beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 7-1. . . . Steel, who leads the WHL with 131 points,
BRAYDON BUZIAK
became the league’s third 50-goal man. . . . Brooks, who won the scoring title with 120 points last season, has 127 points, including a WHL-leading 85 assists. . . . Regina scored the game’s first three goals. . . . Brooks got it started just 34 seconds into the game. . . . Steel got No. 50, on a PP, at 8:29 of the first period. . . . F Braydon Buziak (11) made it 3-0 with a shorthanded goal at 6:23 of the second period. . . . D Daniel Bukac (2) scored for Brandon at 9:05. . . . F Austin Wagner (29), who also had two assists, Brooks and F Filip Ahl (27) added second-period goals for Regina, with F Wyatt Sloboshan finishing the scoring with his 11th goal, on a PP, at 16:15 of the third period. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs had two assists, while Ahl had one. . . . G Tyler Brown record the victory with 21 saves, eight fewer than Brandon’s Travis Child. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-4. . . . Brandon F Nolan Patrick left in the first period favouring a knee, but returned for the second period. . . . Brandon later lost F Reid Duke with an undisclosed injury. . . . The Wheat Kings were without D Kale Clague and F Tanner Kaspick, with undisclosed injuries, D Garrett Sambrook (ill) and F Tyler Coulter (suspended). . . . The Pats (51-12-8) have won seven in a row. They will finish atop the overall standings and open the playoffs against the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Bruce Luebke, the former longtime radio voice of the Wheat Kings, tweeted that Brandon (31-30-10) finished the season with nine road victories, its lowest such total since 1991-92. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484. . . . That was Regina’s 14th sellout of the season. The Pats set a franchise record with an average attendance of 5,456. The previous record (5,095) was set in 2007-08.
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At Saskatoon, G Logan Flodell turned aside 36 shots in leading the Blades to a 5-3 victory over the
CHASE WOUTERS
Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Despite the victory, the Blades (28-24-9) will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. They haven’t qualified since being the host team for the 2013 Memorial Cup tournament. . . . The Raiders (20-44-7) won’t be in the playoffs, either. . . . F Cavin Leth (23) gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 8:13 of the first period, but the Blades responded with the next four goals. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, scored his 31st goal at 13:49 in his final home game. . . . F Braylon Shmyr (35) scored on a PP at 2:05 of the second period to give Saskatoon the lead. . . . F Michael Farren (8) made it 3-1 at 6:21 and F Gage Ramsay (9) scored shorthanded at 10:21. . . . The Raiders made it interesting with third-period goals from F Parker Kelly (21), shorthanded, at 4:53, and F Spencer Moe (6), at 8:39. . . . Saskatoon F Josh Paterson (17) put it away with an empty-netter at 19:59. . . . F Chase Wouters had three assists for Saskatoon, with Shmyr getting one. . . . G Nic Sanders started for the Raiders and allowed three goals on 14 shots in 26:21. Ian Scott finished up by stopping 10 of 11 shots in 31:27. . . . Saskatoon was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 10,030. . . . Darren Steinke, the wandering blogger, was in attendance and filed an emotional piece that is right here.
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At Swift Current, F Aleksi Heponiemi broke a 1-1 tie at 17:35 of the third period as the Broncos beat the
ALEKSI HEPONIEMI
Moose Jaw Warriors, 2-1. . . . These teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs. They also will play again tonight in Moose Jaw. . . . The Broncos (39-22-10) will finish third in the East Division, while the Warriors (41-21-9), who are 0-4-1 in their last five games, in second spot. . . . D Matt Sozanski gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead with his third goal at 8:09 of the first period. . . . The Broncos tied it on F Glenn Gawdin’s 26th goal, at 5:58 of the second period. . . . Heponiemi won it with his 28th goal. . . . F Ryley Lindgren had two assists for the Broncos. . . . G Taz Burman earned the victory with 34 saves. . . . The Warriors got 21 stops from G Zach Sawchenko. . . . Each team was 0-3 on the PP. . . . The Broncos had F Logan Barlage, who turned 16 on Jan. 12, in their lineup. Barlage, from Humboldt, Sask., was the fourth-overall pick in the 2016 bantam draft. He was pointless in two earlier games with the Broncos. With the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos, he had 76 points, including 37 goals, in 44 games this season. . . . D Josh Brook was among Moose Jaw’s scratches, while the Broncos were without, among others, G Jordan Papirny (ill), D Colby Sissons, F Kaden Elder and D Max Lajoie. . . . Announced attendance: 2,890.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Morgan Geekie scored his second goal of the game 28 seconds into OT to give
MORGAN GEEKIE
the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The victory lifted the Americans (39-28-3), who had lost their previous five games, into the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Victoria Royals. Tri-City is fourth in the U.S. Division, one point behind the Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Chiefs (26-33-11) have lost eight in a row (0-7-1). . . . Geekie, who has 34 goals, gave the Americans a 4-3 lead at 15:13 of the third period. . . . The Chiefs tied it as F Kailer Yamamoto, who had three goals, counted at 18:58 and again at 19:24. He’s got 42 goals. . . . F Vladislav Lukin, back after missing eight games with an undisclosed injury, got his 25th goal at 19:35 of the first period to give Tri-City a 1-0 lead. . . . Yamamoto tied it at 16:52 of the second. . . . Yes, the teams combined for six third-period goals. . . . Tri-City D Dylan Coghlan (14) scored at 0:22 and F Tyler Sandhu (22) gave the home side a 3-2 lead at 7:31. . . . F Hudson Elynuik had Spokane’s other goal, his 28th, on a pp, at 12:28. . . . D Jordan Topping had two assists for the Americans, with Coghlan, Geekie and Lukin each getting one. . . . Elynuik, D Ty Smith and F Keanu Yamamoto had two assists each for the Chiefs. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 32 shots for the Americans. . . . The Chiefs got 27 stops out of G Jayden Sittler. . . . Spokane was 2-5 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-4. . . . The Americans also had F Max James back from a three-game absence. . . . Announced attendance: 4,579.
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At Victoria, F Matt Fonteyne scored two goals to help the Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the
MATT FONTEYNE
Royals. . . . The Silvertips (43-16-11) moved back into first place in the Western Conference standings, one point ahead of the idle Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Royals (37-28-6) have lost six in a row (0-5-1) and slipped a spot into the conference’s second wild-card spot. . . . F Jack Walker’s 30th goal, on a PP, gave the home side a 1-0 lead at 5:56 of the first period. . . . The visitors took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Kevin Davis (9), on a PP, at 8:24, and Fonteyne, at 11:44. . . . Walker scored again, 22 seconds into the second period, to get the Royals even. That was his 100th career regular-season goal. . . . F Eetu Tuulola (18) restored the Everett lead at 1:32 and Fonteyne’s 19th goal added insurance at 2:59. . . . Everett got two assists from each of F Dominic Zwerger and F Patrick Bajkov. . . . D Scott Walford had two assists for Victoria. . . . G Carter Hart blocked 25 shots for Everett, while Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse turned aside 18. . . . Each team was 1-3 on the PP. . . . F Tyler Soy returned to Victoria’s lineup after missing 13 games with an undisclosed injury, while head coach Dave Lowry was back behind the bench after sitting out three games with the mumps. With assistant coach Dan Price running the bench, the Royals went 0-2-1. . . . Victoria D Mitchell Prowse also was back after recovering from the mumps. . . . D Ryan Gagnon set a Royals franchise record for career regular-season games played, with No. 319. That is one more than F Brandon Magee (Chilliwack/Victoria, 2009-15). . . . Announced attendance: 7,006.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Regina at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Lethbridge at Medicine Hat, 7:30 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kamloops at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Portland vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Tri-City at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7 p.m.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Red Deer at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Spokane at Portland, 5 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
Everett vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 5:05 p.m.
END OF REGULAR SEASON

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:53 AM
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Saturday, November 26, 2016

Blazers waive d-man ... Rebels acquire forward from Blades ... Tigers' win streak at eight

The Kamloops Blazers have placed D Shaun Dosanjh on 20-year-old waivers. The Blazers had to make a move because D Dallas Valentine, 20, returned Friday after missing 19 games with an elbow injury. . . . Dosanjh started the season with the Prince George Cougars, but lost out in the 20-year-old game there, too. . . . In 18 games with the Blazers, he had a goal and three assists. . . . “I thought Shaun was really good for us,” Kamloops head coach Don Hay said. “He’s a real good person. He worked hard here and he really helped our young guys. . . . We’ve had a couple of teams call about him.” . . . The Blazers’ other 20-year-olds are F Collin Shirley and F Matt Revel.
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The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Cameron Hausinger, 17, from the Saskatoon Blades for two bantam draft picks — a seventh-rounder in 2017 and a fifth-rounder in 2018. . . . Hausinger, from Anchorage, has three assists in 20 games with the Blades this season. In 78 career games, he has six goals and eight assists. . . . Hausinger was a seventh-round selection by the Blades in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . He made his Rebels’ debut last night by scoring two goals against the visiting Kootenay Ice.
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The Prince George Cougars have dropped two defencemen from their roster. Jonas Harkins, who will turn 16 on Dec. 26, will play for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League, while Cole Moberg, 16, will join that league’s Vancouver Northwest Giants. . . . Harkins was a second-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He was pointless in one game with Prince George. He already has played 10 games with the major midget team, also going pointless. Harkins is the son of Prince George general manager Todd Harkins and a younger brother of Cougars F Jansen Harkins. . . . Moberg had one goal in three games with Prince George. Earlier in the season, he had five goals and two assists in eight games with the Giants. . . . The Cougars now are carrying 24 players, including 15 forwards and seven defencemen.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

At Calgary, the Moose Jaw Warriors built up a 4-1 second-period lead and hung on to beat the Hitmen, 5-
JAYDEN HALBGEWACHS
4. . . . D Vladislav Yeryomenko scored his first goal, on a PP, to give Calgary a 1-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period. . . . The Warriors took control with four goals in 6:53 in the middle part of the second period. . . . F Brayden Burke (5) scored his first goal with Moose Jaw since being acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 5:37. F Nikita Popugaev got his 18th goal at 8:39. F Brett Howden, back after a 10-game absence, scored his 10th at 10:06. F Jayden Halbgewachs made it 4-1 at 12:20. . . . Calgary F Carsen Twarynski (7) scored shorthanded, at 17:34 to cut the deficit to 4-2. . . . Halbgewachs, who has 17 goals, counted again at 1:46 of the third. . . . The Hitmen made it a one-goal game when F Jakob Stukel (6), on a PP, at 9:35 and F Andrew Fyten (2), at 12:44, found the range. . . . Moose Jaw got three assists from F Tanner Jeannot, while Howden and F Noah Gregor had two apiece. Popugaev, Burke and Halbgewachs added one each. . . . F Jordy Stallard had two assists for Calgary, with Stukel and Fyten getting one each. . . . G Brody Willms stopped 36 shots for the Warriors, while Calgary’s Cody Porter turned aside 16. . . . The Hitmen were 2-3 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-2. . . . The Warriors now are 14-5-4, while Calgary (8-11-2) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 9,945, the largest crowd for the Hitmen this season.
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At Everett, F Matt Fonteyne broke a 2-2 tie with a PP goal at 13:51 of the second period and the
MATT FONTEYNE
Silvertips went on to a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . F Connor Dewar (2) gave Everett a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 4:35 of the first period and D Lucas Skrumeda (2) made it 2-0 at 8:46. . . . The Oil Kings pulled even on goals from F Lane Bauer, his 13th, at 6:25 of the second period and F Branden Klatt (3), on a PP, at 11:34. . . . F Davis Koch assisted on both Edmonton goals. . . . Fonteyne’s sixth goal stood up as the winner. . . . Everett got insurance from F Orrin Centazzo (3) at 14:25 of the second and F Bradly Goethals (1), on a PP, at 6:21 of the third period. . . . D Noah Juulsen and F Brian King each had two assists for the winners. . . . G Mario Petit blocked 23 shots for Everett, while G Patrick Dea stopped 22 for Edmonton. . . . Everett was 2-6 on the PP; Edmonton was 1-7. . . . The Silvertips (17-3-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Oil Kings (10-13-2) have lost three in a row. . . . Everett head coach Kevin Constantine was given the ol’ heave-ho at 17:51 of the third period. Ch-ch-ching! . . . Announced attendance: 4,178.
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At Kamloops, F Adam Brooks had a goal and two assists but it was the goaltenders who stole the show as the Regina Pats beat the Blazers, 3-0. . . . G Tyler Brown earned the shutout with 37 saves. Brown,
TYLER BROWN
who is 10-2-2 this season, has one shutout this season and three in his career. He gave up three goals in the first period of a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday — the other two goals were empty-netters — so has gone five periods without allowing a score. . . . At the other end, Connor Ingram blocked 32 shots. Fred Brathwaite, Hockey Canada’s goaltending consultant, was in the house watching Ingram again. . . . “Our goaltender was good,” Kamloops head coach Don Hay said. “Their’s was really good.” . . . Regina F Austin Wagner used his speed to get to a loose puck and ended up scoring the first goal, his 11th, at 17:05 of the second period. His shot from the high slot through traffic got through without Ingram seeing it. . . . Wagner was the best skater on the ice and would have had at least three goals if not for Ingram’s catching mitt. . . . Brooks (9) and D Sergey Zborovskiy (3) later scored empty-net goals. . . . Brooks, the WHL’s reigning scoring champion, has at least one point in the 16 games in which he has played this season. He has 36 points, including 27 assists. . . . Regina D Chad Harrison had his 16-game point streak come to an end. . . . FYI: F Jeremy Bracco of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers is riding a 21-game point streak. . . . Regina was 0-1 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-8. . . . F Sam Steel, the WHL’s leading scorer, was among Regina’s scratches. He suffered a shoulder injury during a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday night. That means that Steel’s appearance in Kamloops as a 16-year-old two seasons ago is likely to have been his only game there. A first-round selection by the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL’s 2016 draft, you can bet he won’t be back in the WHL for his 20-year-old season (2018-19), which is when the Pats next would visit Kamloops. . . . The Blazers had D Dallas Valentine, 20, back after he missed 19 games with an elbow injury. . . . The Pats (17-2-3) are 2-2-0 in a B.C. Division tour that concludes tonight against the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers (14-12-1) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,653.
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At Lethbridge, F Jordy Bellerive broke a 3-3 tie at 18:27 of the third period to give the Hurricanes a 4-3
JORDY BELLERIVE
victory over the Swift Current Broncos. . . . The Hurricanes actually led 3-1 before the game was 13 minutes old. . . . F Colton Kroeker (3) and F Ryley Lindgren (10) scored for the Hurricanes at 2:42 and 5:38 of the first period, with F Tyler Steenbergen getting his 19th for the Broncos at 10:01. . . . F Egor Babenko (6) restored the home team’s two-goal lead at 12:30. . . . Swift Current F Ryan Graham pulled his guys even with goals at 19:30 of the first and 4:21 of the second. . . . He’s got five goals and four assists in three games with Swift Current since being acquired from the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Bellerive won it with his sixth goal. . . . Lethbridge got two assists from Kord Pankewicz, a defenceman by trade who played up front in this one, while Bellerive and Lindgren each had one. . . . Lethbridge G Stuart Skinner made 22 saves. . . . Broncos starter Travis Child was beaten three times on 18 shots in 12:30. Taz Burman came on in relief and stopped 24 of 25. That included stopping Babenko on a second-period penalty shot. . . . The Broncos were 2-4 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 1-7. . . . Lethbridge (10-11-3) has won three in a row. . . . The Broncos (13-8-6) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,389.
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At Portland, F Skyler McKenzie scored twice to help the Winterhawks to a 4-2 victory over the Victoria
SKYLER McKENZIE
Royals. . . . McKenzie has 31 points, including 15 goals, in 25 games. In his first two seasons, he totalled 41 points, including 12 goals, in 133 games. . . . McKenzie broke a 1-1 tie with his first goal, at 18:49 of the first period, then added an empty-netter 1t 19:59 of the third. . . . F Matt Phillips scored his 16th goal of the season for the Royals. . . . F Colton Veloso (6) gave Portland a 3-1 edge with a PP goal 59 seconds into the second period. . . . The Royals got to within one when F Regan Nagy (6) got a PP marker at 13:40 of the third. . . . F Keegan Iverson had two assists for Portland. He has 30 points, including 20 assists, in 23 games. Last season, he finished with 29 points, 18 of them assists, in 55 games. . . . F Spencer Gerth, acquired by Victoria from the Everett Silvertips earlier in the week, made his Royals debut and picked up an assist. . . . G Cole Kehler stopped 33 shots to earn the victory. . . . Victoria got 39 saves from Griffen Outhouse. . . . Victoria was 1-6 on the PP; Portland was 1-7. . . . The Winterhawks lost D Keoni Teixeira at 1:47 of the third period with a major for checking to the head and a game misconduct. . . . The Winterhawks (12-12-1) are 4-0-1 in their past five games. . . . The Royals now are 14-10-2. . . . Announced attendance: 5,305.
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At Prince Albert, F Max Gerlach scored once and added two assists to help the Medicine Hat Tigers to a
MAX GERLACH
7-1 victory over the Raiders. . . . The Tigers (19-5-1) have won eight in a row. . . . The Raiders (5-18-1) have dropped seven straight. . . . The Raiders scored the game’s first three goals, taking control as F Mark Rassell (15) made it 2-0 while shorthanded 25 seconds into the second period, and then going ahead 3-0 on a PP goal from F Steve Owre (6) at 4:00. . . . Gerlach has 15 goals. . . . F Matt Bradley added a goal (14) and an assist for the visitors, while D David Quenneville had two assists. . . . G Duncan McGovern turned aside 22 shots for the Tigers, losing his shutout bid to F Cole Fonstad at 4:30 of the second period. . . . G Nic Sanders started for the Raiders and gave up five goals on 17 shots. Ian Scott played the final 24:54, stopping 12 of 14. . . . Medicine Hat was 2-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 2,289.
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At Red Deer, F Brandon Hagel scored three teams as the Rebels dumped the Kootenay Ice, 9-2. . . . The
BRANDON HAGEL
Ice had beaten the visiting Rebels 6-5 in a shootout on Wednesday night. . . . Hagel has 12 goals. He opened the scoring at 11:49 of the first period, made it 3-0 at 7:49 of the second and completed the hat trick at 9:01 of the third. . . . F Cam Hausinger, acquired earlier in the day by the Rebels from the Saskatoon Blades, scored his first two goals of the season. . . . D Colton Bobyk and F Michael Spacek each had two assists for Red Deer, with D Jared Freadrich and F Jordan Roy each picking up a goal and an assist. Each has two goals this season. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 27 shots for the winners. . . . Kootenay starter Payton Lee gave up eight goals on 42 shots. Jakob Walter came on in relief to stop seven of eight. . . . Red Deer was 1-6 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . The Rebels (12-10-4) are 2-0-1 in their last three games. . . . The Ice now is 5-14-6. . . . The Rebels were without F Evan Polei, who served a one-game suspension after taking a charging major on Wednesday in Cranbrook. . . . Announced attendance: 4,500.
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At Saskatoon, F Braylon Shmyr scored two goals as the Blades skated to a 3-2 victory over his former
BRAYLON SHMYR
club, the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Shmyr was dealt to the Blades on Jan. 4, along with D Colton Waltz, for D Mitchell Wheaton, D Schael Higson and a second-round pick in the 2017 bantam draft. . . . Shmyr, who has nine goals, gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk upped the lead to 2-0 with his seventh goal at 7:10 of the second period. . . . The Wheat Kings tied it on second-period goals from F Tyler Coulter (10) at 7:43 and D Schael Higson (2) at 16:49. . . . The game appeared headed to OT when Shmyr won it at 19:18 of the third period. . . . Shynkaruk assisted on the winner. . . . G Logan Flodell earned the victory with a 31-save performance. . . . Brandon G Logan Thompson turned aside 25 shots. . . . Brandon was 0-1 on the PP; Saskatoon was 0-2. . . . The Blades (10-15-1) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Wheat Kings (12-9-3), who beat the visiting Blades twice last weekend, have lost two in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings swept a doubleheader from the visiting Blades last weekend — 8-1 and 6-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,929.
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At Spokane, F Jaret Anderson-Dolan and F Hudson Elynuik each scored three goals and F Keanu
KEANU YAMAMOTO
Yamamoto drew six assists to help the Chiefs to a 10-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The record for most assists in one game *(8) was set by F Brian Sakic of the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 3, 1990, in a 19-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . Elynuik also had two assists, while Anderson-Dolan had one. . . . Elynuik, who has nine goals, gave Spokane a 1-0 lead at 5:08 of the first period. . . . Vancouver F Ty Ronning (8) tied the score at 7:42. . . . F Hayden Ostir scored his third goal at 15:45, giving Spokane a 2-1 lead and the Chiefs were off to the races. . . . D Tyson Helgesen and D Dalton Hamaliuk had two assists each for Spokane. . . . The Chiefs remain without injured F Kailer Yamamoto. . . . G Jayden Sittler made 22 saves for Spokane. . . . Vancouver starter David Tendeck allowed four goals on 12 shots in 22:52. Ryan Kubic came on to stop 11 of 17. . . . Spokane was 5-7 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-3. . . . The Chiefs (10-8-5) have won two in a row. . . . The Giants (10-16-0) have lost four straight. . . . Announced attendance: 4,867.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Mathew Barzal drew three assists as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the host Tri-
MATHEW BARZAL
City Americans, 5-2. . . . The Thunderbirds took a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from F Nolan Volcan (10) just 43 seconds in and F Sami Moilanen (6) at 19:00. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (10) pulled the Americans to within a goal at 1:14 of the second period, but Seattle got that one back just 1:23 later when D Ethan Bear scored his sixth goal. . . . Tri-City D Juuso Valimaki’s 10th goal, at 10:48, made it a one-goal game again. . . . Seattle put it away with two third-period goals, from F Keegan Kolesar, who got his first goal at 12;32, and F Ryan Gropp, who scored his fourth, on a PP, at 16:57. . . . Seattle got two assists from F Scott Eansor, while Bear and Volcan each had one. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu had an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. . . . G Matt Berlin got the victory with 23 saves. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 26 shots for the Americans. . . . Each team was 1-4 on the PP. . . . Seattle (12-9-2) is third in the U.S. Division, six points behind the Americans with three games in hand. . . . The Americans (15-9-2) had points in their previous two games (1-0-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,691.
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SATURDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Lethbridge at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Prince George at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Regina at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.
Swift Current vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Moose Jaw at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Victoria vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Edmonton at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Vancouver vs. Tri-City, at Kennewick, Wash., 7:05 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 12:09 AM
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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Game fogged out in Brandon . . . Two six-point nights in WHL . . . Tri-City sniper scores four times



Prior to the start of this season, the WHL brought in a rule involving pucks that go into nets off skates. According to the WHL, “Unless the puck is in the goal crease, a puck that enters the net off a player's skate shall be ruled a goal. This will eliminate the need for a decision by the referee and/or video goal judge as to whether it was a distinct kicking motion or not.”
The new rule came into play on Friday in Calgary during a game between the Hitmen and Kootenay Ice.
The Ice led 2-1 when Calgary F Tyler Mrkonjic scored at 1:18 of the third period. Eventually, the game went into OT. Calgary F Mark Kastelic thought he had won the game with 29.3 seconds left in OT.
From the WHL web site:
“In the overtime period, the Hitmen were able to jam a puck past Ice goaltender Payton Lee during a goal-mouth scramble. Igniting the red light, Calgary emptied from its bench, celebrating what appeared to be a victory. Meanwhile, Lee protested and his teammates headed down the hallway to the dressing room.
“Across the ice at the timekeeper’s box, on-ice officials were on the phone with video review and quickly overturned the goal, bringing both teams back to the ice.”
So . . . what happened?
According to a tweet from Brad Curle, the radio voice of the Hitmen, “Video review showed the puck was kicked in. New rule only allows a kick outside the blue crease. He was in the crease.”
Eventually, F Taylor Sanheim’s shootout goal gave Calgary a 3-2 victory.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers are into their second season in the Canalta Centre, but they still aren’t in what is supposed to be a $1.5-million dressing room. In fact, construction on that dressing room hasn’t even started. . . . Ryan McCracken of the Medicine Hat News has more right here.
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As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Brandon Sun are asking fans to help pick the franchise’s Dream Team — the top 20 players in franchise history.
The online project allows fans to select two goaltenders, six defencemen and 12 forwards from a list
of 50 that is provided. Voting is to begin on Monday at wheatkings.com.
The names on the ballot:
Goalies — Glen Hanlon, Ron Hextall, Trevor Kidd, Tyler Plante.
Defencemen — Keith Aulie, Daryl Boyle, Kevin Cheveldayoff, Don Dietrich, Burke Henry, Dean Kennedy, Justin Kurtz, Brad McCrimmon, Cam Plante, Dwayne Pentland, Ivan Provorov, Ryan Pulock, Wayne Ramsey, Wade Redden, Colby Robak.
Forwards — Ray Allison, Rick Blight, Dan Bonar, Laurie Boschman, Matt Calvert, Dave Chartier, Ron Chipperfield, Ryan Craig, Cory Cyrenne, Bill Derlago, Chris Dingman, Eric Fehr, Ray Ferraro, Scott Glennie, Kelly Glowa, Jayce Hawryluk, Bobby House, Mike Leclerc, Byron Lomow, Dale McMullin, Marty Murray, Robbie Neale, Steve Patrick, Brian Propp, Darren Ritchie, Peter Schaefer, Brayden Schenn, Mark Stone, Ryan Stone, Jordin Tootoo, Terry Yake.
Results of the voting will be revealed in January.
The Wheat Kings, who won the Ed Chynoweth Cup last season, dropped the puck on the 50th anniversary party at home on Saturday night. On hand to help things get started were some familiar names, like former team captains Bob Ash, Bill Fairbairn and Ted Taylor. Also there were Bruce Bonk Jack Borotsik, Ray Brownlee, Bob Clyne, Roy McLachlan and Ted Temple, all of whom played on Brandon’s first WCHL team in 1967-68.
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JUST NOTES:

F Keegan Kolesar of the Seattle Thunderbirds has suffered an undisclosed injury while in the training camp of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. On Saturday afternoon, Aaron Portzline, who covers the Blue Jackets for the Columbus Dispatch, tweeted: “Add LW Keegan Kolesar to the (Columbus) injured list. Club not saying what the injury is.” . . . Kolesar, 19, had 61 points, including 30 goals, in 64 games with Seattle last season, his third in the WHL. The Blue Jackets selected him in the third round of the NHL’s 2015 draft. . . . 
When Everett scored seven goals in beating the host Vancouver Giants, 7-3, on Friday night, the Silvertips matched their single-game goal-scoring high from last season. They counted seven times in a 7-4 victory over the Chiefs in Spokane on Dec. 16. . . . 
The Kamloops Blazers opened with a 9-2 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets on Friday. It marked the third time in franchise history that the Blazers had scored nine times in a home-opener against Kelowna. Kamloops won 9-5 on Sept. 29, 1982, and on Oct. 2, 1983. . . . The Blazers’ most lopsided home-opening victory came on Sept. 23, 1994 when they beat the Portland Winterhawks, 11-1. 
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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SATURDAY GAMES:


At Brandon, the Moose Jaw Warriors held a 2-1 lead over the Wheat Kings when the game was suspended due to a persistent problem with fog on the ice. . . . Humidity in Brandon was as high as 100 per cent on Saturday. . . . Ron Robison, the WHL commissioner, was in the building and a decision was made at 14:23 of the second period to suspend the game. The Wheat Kings later released this statement: “Due to the safety of the players, the WHL has postponed the conclusion of tonight’s game. The balance of this game will be played at a date to be determined.” . . . Later, the decision was made to finish the game on Nov. 2 when the Warriors next are scheduled to visit Brandon. Players who now are in NHL camps will be back by then so both teams will have rosters different from what was on display last night. . . . F Brayden Watts gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the first period. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos tied it 31 seconds into the second period. . . . The Warriors took a 2-1 lead when F Nikita Popugaev scored at 14:23 of the second period, at which point the game was halted. . . . The Warriors had beaten the visiting Wheat Kings 3-2 in OT on Friday night. . . . Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun reported that Wheat Kings G Jordan Papirny was watching the video screen whenever the puck was in the Moose Jaw zone because he couldn’t see it through the fog. . . . In Brandon, the player benches are across the ice from each other. Brandon head coach David Anning told Bergson that the fog was so thick at ice level he could hardly see the Warriors’ bench. . . . Announced attendance: Unavailable.
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At Edmonton, F Lane Bauer’s shootout goal gave the Oil Kings a 4-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . This was the first hockey game to be played at Rogers Place, the new arena that will be home to the Oil Kings and the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers. It was 90 minutes later in starting after a hydraulic lift broke down on the ice surface prior to the pregame warmups. . . . Bauer had been in camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, but was returned in time to play in the season-opening doubleheader. D Aaron Irving was returned with Bauer and scored the OT winner on Friday when the Oil Kings won 3-2 in Red Deer. . . . F Trey Fix-Wolansky of the Oil Kings scored the first goal in the new facility, 22 seconds into the second period, on a PP, as he snapped home a shot from the top of the right circle. . . . Later, the Oil Kings thought Fix-Wolansky had scored in OT but officials waived it off. . . . F Evan Polei and F D-Jay Jerome gave Red Deer a 2-1 lead early in the second period, only to have Bauer tie it at 12:16. . . . Jerome’s second goal of the game put Red Deer out front at 13:50. . . . Edmonton F Tyler Robertson tied it again, at 18:40 of the second. . . . Irving had two assists, while Fix-Wolansky, Bauer and Robertson each added an assist to their goals. . . . F Jordan Roy had two assists for the Rebels, with Jerome also getting an assist. . . . G Patrick Dea stopped 24 shots for Edmonton, with Trevor Martin blocking 41 for the Rebels. . . . Edmonton was 3-3 on the PP; Red Deer was 0-2. . . . Announced attendance: 18,102.
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At Everett, F Matt Fonteyne broke a 1-1 tie at 18:13 of the second period and the Silvertips went on to a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Silvertips swept the weekend doubleheader, having won 7-3 in Langley, B.C., on Friday night. . . . F Graham Millar, with his third goal in two games, got Everett going at 3:30 of the first period. . . . F Jack Flaman pulled the Giants even at 16:53 of the second. . . . F Brett Kemp added some Everett insurance at 4:15 of the third. . . . F Patrick Bajkov and D Kevin Davis each had two assists for Everett. . . . G Lasse Petersen stopped 12 shots for Everett, while Vancouver’s Ryan Kubic turned aside 28. . . . Everett was 1-5 on the PP; Vancouver was 0-4. . . . The Giants, already without injured forwards Tyler Benson and Thomas Foster and D Ryely McKinstry (concussion), lost D Matt Barberis and D Marcus Kichton on Friday. They brought in D Alex Kannok-Leipert of Regina to help out last night. Kannok-Leipert, 16, was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. . . . F Taden Rattie, whose acquisition from the Red Deer Rebels was announced late Friday, was in Vancouver’s lineup. . . . Announced attendance: 5,308.
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At Kelowna, Riley Stadel, a defenceman turned forward, scored twice to help the Rockets to a 5-1 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Stadel scored twice in 56 games last season. . . . The Blazers had beaten the visiting Rockets 9-2 on Friday night. . . . The Rockets dressed 16 skaters, two under the maximum. That included freshman F Nolan Foote, who had been out with mononucleosis. . . . D Cal Foote, Nolan’s older brother, had three assists for Kelowna, with F Rod Southam getting two. . . . Kelowna G Michael Herringer blocked 25 shots, losing his shutout bid at 11:23 of the third period when F Rudolfs Balcers scored on a PP. . . . Kamloops starter Dylan Ferguson was beaten twice on 14 shots in the first period. Carter Phair played the last two periods, stopping 16 of 19 shots. . . . Kelowna was 2-5 on the PP; Kamloops was 1-5. . . . Announced attendance: 5,348.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., D Micheal Zipp scored with 42 seconds left in OT to give the Calgary Hitmen a 2-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . It was the second night in a row that the two teams went to extra time. On Friday, in Calgary, the Hitmen won 3-2 in the shootout. . . . Calgary F Andrew Fyten opened the scoring at 7:22 of the first period. . . . The Ice tied it when D Cale Fleury scored at 3:26 of the second. . . . The Hitmen got 31 stops from G Kyle Dumba, while Payton Lee turned aside 34 for the Ice. . . . Calgary was 0-5 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-4. . . . Announced attendance: 1,997.
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At Medicine Hat, the Tigers scored four PP goals en route to a 9-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . One night earlier, the host Hurricanes had posted a 4-2 victory. . . . A third-period donnybrook resulted in 142 penalty minutes and no doubt will result in — ch-ch-ching! — fines and suspensions. . . . F Chad Butcher had a goal and five assists for the Tigers, with F Zach Fischer scoring three times and D Clayton Kirichenko earning three assists. F Mark Rassell had two goals and an assist, F Matt Bradley scored once and added an assist, and F Mason Shaw had two assists. . . . Fischer, a 19-year-old from Lloydminster, Alta., had eight goals in 35 games last season after scoring four times in 54 games as a freshman in 2014-15. . . . Freshman D Calen Addison had two assists for Lethbridge, giving him four points in two games, and F Zane Franklin had a goal and an assist. . . . Tigers G Duncan McGovern stopped 15 of 17 shots, with Jake Morrissey playing the last 12:11 and allowing one goal on three shots. . . . Lethbridge starter Stuart Skinner was beaten six times on 34 shots, with reliever Ryan Gilchrist stopping 11 of 14. . . . The  Tigers were 4-8 on the PP; the Hurricanes were 2-10. . . . Referees Chris Crich and Adam Bloski doled out 190 minutes in penalties, including a game misconduct to Lethbridge head coach Brent Kisio. . . . Announced attendance: 4,178.
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At Portland, F Ryan Hughes had a goal and two assists, while F Evan Weinger had three assists, as the Winterhawks opened with a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The teams exchanged goals and were 3-3 early in the third period when the Winterhawks exploded for four goals. . . . Seattle F Donovan Neuls pulled his mates into a 3-3 tie 31 seconds into the third period. . . . Portland F Cody Glass broke the tie at 12:19 and F Brendan De Jong added insurance, on a PP, at 14:53. . . . The game’s last goal, at 19:40, went to Portland F Brad Ginnell, a grandson to the late Pat Ginnell, who was a legendary WHL coach and executive. . . . Glass also had an assist, while D Keoni Texeira had a goal and an assist. . . . The game marked a successful return to the Portland bench for GM/head coach Mike Johnston after a two-year absence. . . . G Michael Bullion stopped 27 shots for Portland, one fewer than Seattle’s Rylan Toth. . . . The Winterhawks were 2-4 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-1. . . . Announced attendance: 8,705.
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At Prince Albert, F Jake Leschyshyn scored two goals and added an assist to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . That allowed the Pats to split the weekend series, the Raiders having won 4-3 in OT in Regina on Friday. . . . F Kolten Olynek gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead with a PP goal at 7:23 of the second period. . . . F Lane Zablocki’s PP goal pulled Regina into a tie at 9:48. . . . F Braydon Buziak got what proved to the winner at 17:01. . . . Leschyshyn, who had scored the game’s first goal, got the empty-netter at 17:57 of the third. . . . Zablocki added an assist to his goal. . . . The Raiders got two assists from F Simon Stransky, giving him five points in two games. . . . F Austin Glover had a goal and an assist for for the Raiders. . . . Regina G Jordan Hollett stopped 28 shots, 13 fewer than Prince Albert’s Ian Scott. . . . Regina was 1-3 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-7. . . . The Raiders were without D Loch Morrison and D Cody Paivarinta, so had D Adam Herold, 15, in their lineup. From Montmartre, Sask., he was a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. . . . The Raiders also got back F Drew Warkentine after he finished serving a three-game suspension. . . . Announced attendance: 2,719.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Michael Rasmussen and F Vladislav Lukin combined for seven goals as the Tri-City Americans beat the Spokane Chiefs, 8-3. . . . Rasmussen, seen as a likely early first-round selection in the 2017 NHL draft, scored the game’s first three goals, completing the hat trick at 16:22 of the first period. He got his fourth goal at 19:00 of the second. . . . It was the first four-goal game for a Tri-City player since F Brendan Shinnimin did it on Feb. 26, 2012, in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash. . . . Rasmussen, 18, from Surrey, B.C., had 18 goals — including one two-goal game — in 63 games as a freshman last season. He was the seventh-overall pick in the 2014 bantam draft. . . . Lukin, a Russian in his third season, scored two second-period goals and then got the game’s final goal, at 17:20 of the third period. He also had three assists, giving him a six-point night. . . . Lukin had 48 points, including 21 goals, last season, after putting up 12 points, seven of them goals, in 52 games in 2014-15. This was his first WHL hat trick. . . . F Morgan Geeie had a goal and two assists for Tri-City. F Tyler Sandhu and F Parker AuCoin each had three assists for the winners, with D Juuso Valimaki getting two. . . . The Chiefs got a goal and two assists from each of the Yamamoto brothers, Keanu, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, and Kailer. D Ty Smith added two assists. . . . G Warm Beck blocked 23 shots for the Americans. Spokane starter Jayden Sittler surrendered four goals on 25 shots, with Matt Berlin coming on to stop six of seven. . . . Announced attendance: 4,352.
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At Victoria, F Kody McDonald scored twice as the Prince George Cougars skated to a 5-1 victory over the Royals. . . . The Cougars swept the two games on Vancouver Island as they had won 3-1 on Friday night. . . . On Saturday, they took control with goals 10 seconds apart early in the first period. F Justin Almeida opened the scoring at 6:10 and McDonald added another at 6:20. . . . F Brad Morrison and F Jared Bethune each had four assists for the Cougars, while F Colby McAuley scored his third goal in two games. . . . G Nick McBride stopped 36 shots for the Cougars. Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse allowed three goals on six shots in 9:09. Dylan Myskiw came on to finish up and stopped 20 of 22. . . . Each team was 0-5 on the PP. . . . Announced attendance: 3,795.
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SUNDAY GAMES (all times local):

Swift Current at Saskatoon, 2:05 p.m.

Tri-City at Portland, 5 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:41 PM
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