Quiet warmup before Game 4

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
Ryan Hanes wasn’t patrolling the centre-ice red line on behalf of his Kamloops Blazers teammates prior to Wednesday night’s WHL playoff game at Interior Savings Centre.
One night earlier, Hanes skated back and forth, just inside the Kamloops side of centre ice, chirping at the Portland Winterhawks as they prepared for the game.
Prior to last night’s game, Hanes said Winterhawks like forwards Brad Ross and Brendan Leipsic had done that same thing prior to games in Portland.
“I had enough of it,” Hanes, a Kamloops native who turned 20 on March 20, said. “I took it upon myself to try and get them off their game.”
Then he paused, smiled and added: “It didn’t quite work.”
A lot of Hanes’ chatter was aimed at Portland goaltender Mac Carruth, who finished with 38 saves in a 5-2 Winterhawks victory that gave them a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
Asked if the Winterhawks responded with anything that was printable or if it was just hockey talk, Hanes laughed and said he was told to “go eat another cheeseburger.”
“So I would just blow out my cheeks and make myself look fatter,” he said with another laugh.
Linesman Ryan Dawson shadowed Hanes through most of the warmup, telling the Blazers veteran to settle down.
WHL supervisors observed the goings-on and reported to the WHL office.
On Wednesday, Richard Doerksen, the WHL’s vice-president, hockey, said he spoke with Kamloops general manager Craig Bonner and “I am comfortable that there will not be a repeat performance.”
That message was relayed to Hanes through trainer Colin (Toledo) Robinson.
———
When Carruth joined the Winterhawks as a 17-year-old from the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild, he brought with him a reputation. Get in his kitchen, hockey people said, and you can get him off his game.
Teams did that and found that it worked. So they kept doing it.
These days, though, Carruth is almost a picture of serenity back there.
“It’s a competitive thing knowing that teams are going to try and get me off my game,” the Shorewood, Minn., native said. “I’m taking that as a challenge and trying to compete against it and stay focused.”
He’s doing a pretty good job of it, too.
He led the WHL with 42 regular-season victories, along with a 2.96 GAA and .904 save percentage. Those are good numbers when you’re the goaltender on a team that most often plays a high-risk offensive game.
He went into last night’s action with a 7-0 record in these playoffs, along with a 2.14 GAA and .935 save percentage.
“He has gotten better every year,” Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks’ general manager and head coach, said of Carruth’s on-ice battle with his emotions. “He has taken the initiative to work at it on his own. He’s really worked on it.”
Carruth was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round of the NHL’s 2010 draft.
“He’s talked with Chicago guys,” Johnston added. “They want him to be emotional but they want him to be in control. It’s a fine line with those goaltenders.”
This season, Carruth has mostly stayed on the right side of that line.
Carruth said he really appreciates the play of D Troy Rutkowski, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound shot-blocker from Edmonton.
“He blocks a lot of shots. He takes a lot of pride in sacrificing his body,” Carruth said. “I think secretly he wants to be a goalie.”
Rutkowski didn’t deny that.
“I always joke with him in the room," he said with a laugh. "I tell him I’m secretly a goalie and I’ll maybe come for his job next year.”
———
Bob Hall, a former WHL and NHL referee who now is an NHL officiating manager, was in attendance at Tuesday’s game. He apparently was taking a close look at veteran referee Matt Kirk. When he isn’t officiating, Kirk is a Vancouver-based lawyer.



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.

COLIN SMITH

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
An honours student, Colin Smith was honoured to be honoured Wednesday at the WHL awards luncheon in Calgary.
Smith, who just completed his second season with the Kamloops Blazers, was named the WHL’s scholastic player of the year and was presented with the Doc Seaman Memorial Trophy.
“It was a little nerve-wracking, to say the least,” said Smith, who will turn 18 on June 20. “But it was nice.
“Not too many times do we get rewarded for schoolwork — it’s more on ice. It’s always nice to get recognized in other ways.”
Forward Adam Lowry of the Swift Current Broncos was the Eastern Conference nominee.
Smith is scheduled to graduate with honours from Vimy Ridge Academy in his hometown of Edmonton next month. During the season, he attended Valleyview Secondary.
The Blazers now have had three players win the WHL’s scholastic award. Defenceman Scott Niedermayer won it for the 1990-91 season, while goaltender Devan Dubnyk was the winner for 2003-04. Niedermayer and Dubnyk both went on to be named the CHL’s scholastic player of the year.
On the ice, Smith put up 50 points, including 21 goals, as he played in all 72 of the Blazers’ regular-season games. While the Blazers didn’t make the playoffs, Smith went on to play for Canada at the IIHF U-18 world championship in Germany. He had three points, two of them goals, in seven games as Canada finished fourth.
Seeing some of Europe for the first time, he said, “was really good. It was a cool experience.”
On top of that, he felt he played “pretty well.”
“I tried to play a role and thought I did a pretty good job,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we would have liked. But it was an unbelievable experience otherwise.”
Up next for Smith is the NHL draft.
His play improved markedly in the season’s second half and NHL Central Scouting certainly was paying attention as his ranking went from No. 130 at midseason to 96 in the final seedings.
He wasn’t invited to the NHL scouting combine and won’t be attending the draft in St. Paul, Minn., June 24 and 25.
“I don’t have too many expectations,” he said. “I’m more worried about the work after and next season.”
Smith is the highest-ranked of the three Blazers who showed up on Central Scouting’s list.
Defenceman Tyler Hansen came in at No. 131, while centre Dylan Willick was at No. 164.
———
WHL award winners, announced Wednesday in Calgary (runner-up in parentheses):
Player of the year — G Darcy Kuemper, Red Deer Rebels (F Tyler Johnson, Spokane Chiefs).
Rookie of the year — D Matt Dumba, Red Deer Rebels (F Sven Bartschi, Portland Winterhawks).
Goaltender of the year — Kuemper (James Reid, Spokane).
Defenceman of the year — Stefan Elliott, Saskatoon Blades (Tyson Barrie, Kelowna Rockets).
Most sportsmanlike player — Johnson (Elliott).
Scholastic player of the year — F Colin Smith, Kamloops Blazers (Adam Lowry, Swift Current Broncos).
Coach of the year — Don Nachbaur, Spokane (Jesse Wallin, Red Deer).
Executive of the year — Lorne Molleken, Saskatoon (Mike Johnston, Portland).
Humanitarian of the year — F Spencer Edwards, Moose Jaw Warriors (D Jeff Einhorn, Chilliwack Bruins).
Marketing/Communications award — Mike Moore, Calgary Hitmen (Brian Sandy, Tri-City Americans).
———
As well, the Swift Current Broncos were named the scholastic team of the year, while Matt Kirk was saluted as the league’s top referee. . . . Nachbaur has won the coach-of-the year award three times and has been with a different team on each occasion. . . . Only Pat Ginnell, who was named top coach on four occasions, has won the award more than Nachbaur. . . . This is the ninth straight season in which an Eastern Conference player  has been honoured as the WHL’s player of the year. The last Western Conference player to take the honour? D Dan Hamhuis of the Prince George Cougars in 2001-02.

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

Moon continues to shine

The PBR Canadian Cup National Finals presented by Wrangler are scheduled for Saskatoon, in Credit Union Centre, Nov. 19 and 20.
The CUC, of course, is home to the Saskatoon Blades.
So the Blades have cut a promotional deal with PBR Canada and Wrangler that includes the use of a third jersey.
Yes, that is the third jersey in the photo above.
The Blades plan on wearing these jerseys on Nov. 12 against the visiting Portland Winterhawks.
One look at those jerseys raises a question: They practically scream WRANGLER, even through there is no label in evidence. So how long before we see advertising patches on WHL team jerseys?
When you see a jersey like this one it makes you think it won’t be long until there are Husky/Mohawk patches on the front and KalTire strips across the back.
Or maybe it’ll have Drake Hotel across the back in place of the name bar.
(PBR? That would be Professional Bull Riders.)
———
THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jared Aulin (Kamloops, 1997-2002) signed a one-year contract with Leksand (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had 16 goals and 21 assists in 64 games for the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) last season. The contract contains a one-month tryout clause, then rolls into a contract for the rest of the season. . . .
F Roman Tvrdon (Spokane, 1999-2001) signed a one-year plus option contract with Dukla Trencin (Slovakia Extraliga). He had six goals and four assists in an 11 game try-out with Skalica (Slovakia Extraliga) this season.
———
Congrats to old friend Cam Moon, the long-serving radio voice of the Red Deer Rebels. He worked his 1,001st consecutive game Friday night as the Rebels beat the visiting Vancouver Giants, 5-2.
If you haven’t listened to Moon call a game, you should. He’s personable and easy to listen to, and he and analyst Mike Moller clearly enjoy bringing the games to their listening audience.
Moon will be back at it tonight as the Saskatoon Blades visit Red Deer. Moon once played goal for the Blades — he also played for the Prince Albert Raiders and Medicine Hat Tigers — and has some great stories to tell, most of which are fit only for private conversations.
He will have a tougher time calling tonight’s game than he did last night. You can bet on that. . . . Why? . . . Because he is one of the biggest baseball fans around. So you know he’ll have Game 3 of the World Series up on his laptop tonight. Yes, he is talented enough to keep one eye on Texas and San Francisco, while talking about Saskatoon and Red Deer.
———
Greg Meachem, the sports editor of the Red Deer Advocate, has a story right here on the Seattle Thunderbirds’ backup goaltender. Michael Salmon hasn’t had a whole lot to do this season because he’s the caddy for Calvin Pickard, perhaps the WHL’s best goaltender. Salmon, however, is working hard and trying to be a good teammate.
———

Former WHL scoring champion Erik Christensen continues to be his own worst enemy. Christensen has all the tools to be a superb offensive player -- he won the 2002-03 WHL scoring title with 108 points while with the Kamloops Blazers -- has always struggled to deal with the pressure he puts on himself to perform. That is the problem again, this time as he struggles to find his place with the New York Rangers. Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes about it right here.
———

haven’t seen all of Hockey Canada’s officiating assignments for IIHF events, but at least four WHL officials have been selected to work on the international stage. . . . Matt Kirk and Pat Smith will work at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, Dec. 26 through Jan. 5. . . . Kiel Murchison will be at the the IIHF World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia, April 29 though May 5. . . . Trent Knorr gets the U-18 World Championship (Division 3, Group B) in Mexico City, March 14-19.
———
There was an interesting goaltending battle in Canada West hockey on Friday night as the visiting Alberta Golden Bears scored a 5-4 shootout victory over the Calgary Dinos. . . . Kurtis Mucha of the Golden Bears stopped 18 shots through OT and then turned aside five shooters in a shootout. At the other end, Dustin Butler turned aside 29 shots and stopped the first four shootout shooters he faced before F Sean Ringrose scored to win it. . . . Calgary F Matt Isbister had given his side a 4-3 lead at 18:56 of the third, only to have Alberta F Chad Klassen tie it at 19:42.
———
It was one year ago tonight when Ben Fanelli of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers was crushed by Mike Liambis of the Erie Otters. Liambis now is playing for the UBC Thunderbirds, who play in the CIS’s Canada West conference. But waht of Fanelli? It turns out he has yet to receive medical clearance to return to game action. Jeff Hicks of the Kitchener-Waterloo Record has that story right here.
———
John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that U.S. college hockey officials will meet with NHL people on Nov. 9 in Toronto. The college hockey people, including Paul Kelly, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., are concerned about losing young players to NHL teams. Shipley’s story is right here.
———
Haven’t seen one like this in a while. In the Central league last night, the host Missouri Mavericks scored a 5-2 victory over the Mississippi RiverKings. The teams combined for 300 penalty minutes. Check out the scoresheet right here. Gotta love the fact that each team ended up with 150 minutes.
———
FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
CHILLIWACK 7 at CALGARY 2: F Roman Horak had two goals and an assist and F Ryan Howse drew three assists for the Bruins (8-4-0), who won their fourth straight game. . . . D Brandon Manning helped out with a goal and three helpers. . . . The Hitmen (4-9-0) have lost five in a row and have scored six goals in those games. . . . The Bruins scored the game’s first two goals — F Brandon Magee getting his first WHL goal and Horak getting his eighth — before the Hitmen roared back to tie it before the first period ended. . . . F Justin Krisch and F Trevor Cheek, with his first WHL score, counted for Calgary. . . . The Bruins, however, got goals from F Robin Soudek, his sixth, and F Chris Collins, his first, before the first period ended. Soudek scored at 17:53, with Collins scoring shorthanded at 19:46. . . . Manning, with his fifth, gave Chilliwack a 5-2 lead in the second. . . . Horak, with his ninth, and F Kevin Sundher, with his second, finished the scoring in the third. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 30 shots. . . . Calgary opened with Juraj Holly. He gave up two goals on five shots and left at 4:39 of the first. Michael Snider came on to stop 20 of 25. . . . The Bruins were 2-for-6 on the PP and now are 23-for-75 (30.7 per cent) on the season. . . . Attendance was 7,813. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
———
BRANDON 4 at KOOTENAY 5 (SO): The Ice scored three shootout goals to win this one. . . . F Matt Fraser, F Jesse Ismond and F Max Reinhart beat Brandon G Liam (Sonny) Liston, who stopped 37shots through OT. It was the first shootout of Liston’s WHL career. . . . Ice G Brett Teskey stopped 13 shots. . . . The Wheat Kings (6-9-1) were playing the seventh game of an eight-game swing that ends tonight in Lethbridge. . . . The Ice now is 11-3-1 and has won seven in a row. . . . The Wheat Kings led this one 3-0 at 12:18 of the first period on goals by F Brenden Walker, his seventh, D Brodie Melnychuk (3) and F Mark Stone (9). . . . The Ice came back to take a 4-3 lead, with F Drew Czerwonka counting at 11:38 of the third period for that lead. . . . Brandon F Hampus Gustafsson forced OT at 12:34 of the third. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Paul Ciarelli each had two assists for Brandon. . . . F Christian Magnus, D Joey Leach and Czerwonka each had a goal and an assist for the Ice, while F Elgin Pearce had two assists. . . . Brandon was 0-for-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,478. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Ice was without two defencemen — Hayden Rintoul (collarbone) and James Martin (nose). They lost D John Neibrandt after a second-period scrap with F Michael Ferland.
———
SPOKANE 2 at MOOSE JAW 3: D Connor Cox scored at 15:40 of the third period to break a 2-2 tie. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Warriors (6-8-1) got the game’s first goal, from F Dylan Hood at 6:39 of the first, and the teams alternated goals after that. . . . Chiefs F Levko Koper forged a 2-2 tie at 5:54 of the third on the PP. . . . The Chiefs (5-7-0), who had won three of four, were playing Game 1 of an eight-game road trip. . . . Moose Jaw F Danny Gayle had a goal and an assist. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk kicked out 21 shots, while Spokane’s James Reid turned aside 40. . . . The Chiefs were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Warriors were 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,556. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
———
SWIFT CURRENT 4 at PRINCE ALBERT 3 (OT): F Stepan Novotny’s 11th goal of the season, at 2:04 of OT, won it for the Broncos (9-8-0). . . . The Raiders (5-7-4) have lost six in a row. . . . Prince Albert’s Sebastian Svendsen scored twice, giving him 10. He opened the scoring at 15:52 of the first period and the teams alternated scoring after that. . . . Swift Current F Cody Eakin, returning from a hip injury, tied the score 3-3 with his ninth goal at 7:43 of the third on the PP. . . . F Mark McNeill and F Jonathan Parker each had two assists for P.A. . . . The Broncos got two assists from F Taylor Vause, while F Justin Dowling, playing with a sore right shoulder, had a goal and an assist. . . . The Broncos were 1-for-4 on the PP; the Raideers were 1-for-5. . . . Swift Current G Mark Friesen stopped 37 shots, 12 more than Prince Albert’s Eric Williams. . . . Attendance was 2,073. . . . The Raiders played again without three defencemen — Jordan Rowley (wrist), Nathan Deck (knee) and Emerson Hrynyk (shoulder). . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . Of the 13 minor penalties handed out, four were for goaltender interference. Each team took two of those penalties.
———
VANCOUVER 2 at RED DEER 5: F Andrej Kudrna had a goal and two assists for the Rebels (10-5-0). They acquired Kudrna, who has nine goals, from the Giants last season. . . . F Byron Froese added two goals for the Rebels. He has eight on the season. . . . D Alex Petrovic and F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two helpers for the home team. . . . The Giants (9-6-2), who had won four in a row, scored the game’s first and last goals. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher had his 16-game point streak snapped. Gallagher, with 15 goals and 13 assists, had at least one point in each of his team’s 16 games going into this one. . . . Giants F Craig Cunningha, who leads the WHL with 34 points, also was held pointless. He had been riding a 10-game streak. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots. Vancouver opened with Mark Segal, who gave up four goals on 22 shots. Brendan Jensen came on late in the second period and stopped nine of 10. . . . The Giants were 1-for-7 on the PP; the Rebels were 3-for-7. . . . Vancouver took 50 of the game’s 90 penalty minutes. . . . Attendance was 4,408. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
———
PRINCE GEORGE 2 at SEATTLE 0: G Ty Rimmer stopped 36 shots for his first WHL shutout. Rimmer, who was acquired by Prince George from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 16 for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft, was making his first start for the Cougars (8-6-1). . . . This was the first shutout by a Prince George goaltender since March 6, 2009, when Kevin Armstrong stopped 31 shots in a 2-0 victory over the visiting Spokane Chiefs. . . . Last night, the teams were scoreless well into the third period. . . . F Nick Buonassisi broke the scoreless tie with his sixth of the season, on the PP, at 13:59. . . . F Taylor Stefishen added insurancee at 16:24. It was his second of the season. . . . Tefishen, Buonassisi and D Martin Marincin each had two points. . . . G Calvin Pickard stopped 30 shots for Seattle (5-3-3). . . . The Thunderbirds have lost four in a row, with the first three of those losses coming in OT or a shootout. This, in fact, was their first loss in regulation in seven games. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-8 on the PP; the Thunderbirds were 0-for-7. . . . Attendance was 3,033. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
———
TRI-CITY 3 at EVERETT 2 (SO): The Americans (11-4-1) got two shootout goals, while both Everett (5-4-4) shooters were blanked. . . . F Adam Hughesman and F Patrick Holland both scored in the shootout. . . . The Silvertips have lost five in a row and have scored seven goals in those games. . . . The Americans have won four of five. . . . F Parker Stanfield scored his third goal at 2:30 of the second period to give the Silvertips a 2-1 lead. . . . F Brooks Macek got his third at 9:21 of the second to tie the score at 2-2. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley turned aside 38 shots, seven more than Everett’s Kent Simpson. . . . This was victory No. 48 for Owsley, moving him into seventh on the franchise’s all-time list, one ahead of Olaf Kolzig, who now is one of the team’s owners. . . . The Americans were 1-for-3 on the PP; the Silvertips were 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 6,422. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . The Silvertips announced after the game that their Pink in the Rink auction raised US$38,807.77, with proceeds benefiting the Providence General Foundation. Among other things, they auctioned off special game jerseys. The highest price paid for a jersey was $1,500, for D Ryan Murray’s. . . . And a special tip of the cap to Denny Spencer, a season-ticket holder in Everett. He donated $5,000 in memory of his wife, who recently lost her battle with breast cancer. You, sir, are someone special.
———
KELOWNA 2 at PORTLAND 4: The Winterhawks (11-2-1) broke a 1-1 tie with three straight goals as they welcomed F Nino Niederreiter back into their lineup. . . . Niederreiter, the fifth pick in the NHL’s 2010 draft, was sent back by the New York Islanders on Thursday. He had one assist last night. . . . Niederreiter had a goal and an assist in nine games with the Isles. According to CapGeek.com, he was paid US$101,613 while in the NHL. . . . The Winterhawks have won five in a row. . . . D Joe Morrow scored for Portland, on the PP, at 8:45 of the first, with Kelowna F Cody Chikie, who scored both Kelowna goals, tying it at 9:04 with his first of the season. . . . F Riley Boychuk broke the 1-1 tie at 16:55 of the first. . . . After a scoreless second period, the Winterhawks got third-period goals from F Brad Ross, his seventh, at 15:32, and F Sven Bartschi, his 10th, at 15:59. . . . Portland F Ty Rattie had two assists. . . . Rattie and Bartschi are on eight-game point streaks. . . . The Rockets, who have lost four of five, are 4-9-0. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots, while Kelowna’s Adam Brown turned aside 32. . . . Kelowna wsa 0-for-9 on the PP; Portland was 1-for-8. . . . Attendance was 2,448. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero. . . . However, the teams, who play again tonight in Portland, combined for 114 penalty minutes, with the Winterhawks taking 58 of those.
———
Congratulations to all of the players who were in action on Friday night. Eight games and not one checking-from-behind penalty. In Regina, Brad Hornung is smiling.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
Taking Note on Twitter