Hitmen hang on for win . . . Manitoba Hockey Hall names inductees . . . Stewart off to ECHL

F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) signed one-year contract with the Augsburger Panther (Germany, DEL). This season, with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2), he had 24 goals and 20 assists. He led his team in goals. MacKay is a dual Canadian-German citizen. . . .
D Paul Kurceba (Red Deer, Kootenay, 2003-08) has signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Ice (Australia, AIHL). This season, with the Okotoks Drillers (Chinook Hockey League), he had one goal and 10 assists in 19 games. The AIHL season starts on April 25.
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MONDAY’S GAME:

In Calgary, the Hitmen erased an early 2-0 deficit with five straight goals and then hung on to beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 5-4. . . . The Hitmen hold a 2-1 edge in the series. . . . The teams will return to Medicine Hat for Game 4 on Wednesday, with Game 5 in Calgary on Friday. . . . F Chad Labelle and Steve Owre gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead before the game was three minutes old. . . . Calgary tied it on goals by F Adam Tambellini, at 6:20, and F Kenton Helgesen, on a PP, at 10:36. . . . Another PP goal, this one from F Connor Rankin, gave the Hitmen their first lead, at 13:28. . . . Helgesen has six goals; Rankin has nine. . . . Calgary D Travis Sanheim stretched the lead to 4-2 with his fourth goal, at 2:14 of the second, on another PP. . . . Tambellini upped it to 5-2 with his second of the game and ninth of the playoffs, at 5:17. . . . The Tigers made it interesting on Labelle’s second goal of the game, and second of the playoffs, at 3:09 of the third, and F Dryden Hunt’s fourth goal, at 6:04. . . . Medicine Hat F Trevor Cox rang one off the cross-bar late in the third period. . . . Special teams obviously were key in this one. Calgary was 3-for-5 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 0-for-4. . . . The Hitmen got a total of four goals and four assists from their three 20-year-olds — Helgesen, Rankin and Tambellini. . . . Tambellini also had two assists; he leads the playoffs in assists (10) and points (19). He and Rankin share the goal-scoring lead, each with nine. . . . Sanheim also had two assists. . . . F Blake Penner and F Cole Sanford each had two assists for the Tigers. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields stopped 29 shots, while Medicine Hat’s Marek Langhamer turned aside 26. . . . A note from Scott Fisher of the Calgary Sun: “Including the regular season, the Tigers have outshot the Hitmen in nine straight games.” . . . The Tigers remain without F Chad Butcher (hand), who was injured in Game 3 of their first-round series. . . . The Hitmen continue to play without D Jake Bean, who has an undisclosed injury. They also are without F Chase Lang, who suffered a right leg injury in Game 2. . . . Attendance was 5,297, the Hitmen’s smallest crowd of this season.
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F Morgan Klimchuk of the Brandon Wheat Kings skated in the early portion of practice on Monday but isn’t expected to play in Game 3 of their series against the Pats in Regina tonight. The Wheat Kings lead that series, 2-0. . . . Klimchuk, who was acquired from Regina in January, has missed Brandon’s past four games. . . .
The Pats aren’t expected to have D Sergey Zborovsky, F Rykr Cole or D Chase Harrison in their lineup tonight. . . . Zborovsky has been hit with a ‘tbd’ suspension after taking an interference major and game misconduct in Game 2. Brandon F Jayce Hawryluk was injured on the play and may sit tonight. . . . Cole was injured after taking a hit from F Tanner Kaspick in Game 1 in Brandon, while Harrison went down in Game 2 after a hit from Hawryluk. . . . Regina F Taylor Cooper didn’t practice on Monday for undisclosed reasons. . . . Regina will have D James Hilsendager back in its lineup as he has completed a three-game WHL-issued suspension.
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John Paddock, the Regina Pats’ vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, and former NHL coach Andy Murray head up the 2015 inductees to the Manitoba hockey Hall of Fame. . . . The induction ceremony is scheduled for Winnipeg on Oct. 3. . . . Paddock, who is from Oak River, Man., played for the Brandon Wheat Kings and also worked as general manager and head coach of the Winnipeg Jets. . . . Paddock, who also is in the AHL Hall of Fame, is being inducted as a builder, along with Al Hares of Selkirk and Murray, who is from Souris and now is the head coach at Western Michigan. . . . Those going in as players include Winnipeg’s Cam Connor (Winnipeg, Flin Flon, 1971-73), Elkhorn’s Sheldon Kennedy (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, 1984-89), Curt Ridley (Brandon, 1970-71), who grew up in Portage la Prairie, and the late Cully Wilson, an Icelandic-Canadian who played in the early 1900s. . . . Others being inducted are the late Dianne Woods of Winnipeg (builder), Gerry Varnes of Winnipeg (official), and Scott Oake of Winnipeg (media). . . . Three teams also will be inducted — the 1953-54 Dauphin Kings, the 1979-80 Transcona Railers and the 1975-76 Deloraine Royals.
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F Liam Stewart, who played out his junior eligibility with the Spokane Chiefs this season, has signed with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards. Stewart had career highs in goals (25), assists (28) and points (53) this season. In 251 career regular-season games, all with the Chiefs, he had 132 points, including 57 goals. . . .
It turns out that two of the scouts mentioned here yesterday did lose their jobs when the Toronto Maple Leafs began cleaning house on Sunday. Roy Stasiuk and Darryl Stanley both are gone; among those kept on the scouting staff was Garth Malarchuk. . . .
Hungary finished 2-3 at the IIHF Division 1 Group B women’s world championship that wrapped up Sunday in Beijing. Dwayne Gylywoychuk, a former WHL player and coach, was the Hungarian team’s head coach. It finished fourth in the six-team affair that was won by Slovakia. . . .
The Edmonton Oilers have missed the NHL playoffs each of the past nine seasons. Interestingly, when Edmonton GM Craig MacTavish met with the media on Monday, his message was that next season will be “another developmental year.” . . . John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal has his reaction right here.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The ECHL’s Brampton Beast fired Brent Hughes, their vice-president of hockey operations and head coach, on Monday, one day after its season ended. . . . The Beast went 23-46-3, finishing last in the Western Conference’s Central Division. . . . Hughes was an assistant coach with the Beast last season when it was in the Central league. He took over as head coach prior to this season. . . . The Beast also announced that Phil Oreskovic will return as an assistant coach next season. He retired as a player earlier this season and joined the Beast’s coaching staff in January.
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#NASCAR fan at the Duck Commander 500 @GettySport Best photos of the week: http://t.co/5n5o96U4jb pic.twitter.com/NgbB3QcIEO
— Paul Nisely (@SN_Paul_Nisely) April 14, 2015

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Tverdovsky retires

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Justin Taylor (Medicine Hat, Red Deer, 1999-2001, 2003-04) has signed with Sterzing/Vipiteno (Italy, Serie A) for the rest of this season. Last season, with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga), Taylor had 27 points, nine of them goals, in 50 games. . . .
D Oleg Tverdovsky (Brandon, 1994-95) announced his retirement through his agent. He apparently had interest from some KHL clubs but wants to spend more time with his family — he has three children. Last season, he had five assists in 25 games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia, KHL). . . .
F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) has been acquired by Red Bull Munich from Schwenninger Wild Wings (both Germany, DEL) and signed through the rest of this season. In 26 games with Schwenningen this season, he had two goals and two assists.
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You couldn’t blame D Keegan Kanzig of the Victoria Royals if he celebrated Christmas a few days early. A third-round pick by the Calgary Flames in the 2013 NHL draft, Kanzig signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract on Thursday. . . . Kanzig, from Athabasca, Alta., is in his third season with the Royals. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder has four points, including two goals, in 30 games this season.
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Paul Brownfield of The New York Times takes a look right here at the decision faced by some 14-year-old hockey players — major junior or the NCAA?


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THE MacBETH REPORT:


F Justin Keller (Kelowna, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract extension with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had 16 goals and 19 assists in 52 games split between Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) and the Capitals. . . .


F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract extension with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga). He had three goals and five assists in 42 games with the Wings this season. . . .

D Robert Schnabel (Red Deer, 1997-99) signed a one-year contract extension with the Manchester Phoenix (England, Premier). He had eight goals and 18 assists in 45 games with the Premier League champs this season. . . .

F Lauris Darzins (Kelowna, 2004-06) signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia, KHL). He had four goals and eight assists in 24 games with Ak Bars Kazan (Russia, KHL) this season. Darzins also was captain of the Latvian national team at the world championship last month, where he had five goals and one assist in seven games. He also was Latvia’s leading scorer at the 2014 Olympics Qualifying Tournament with three goals and two assists in three games. Latvia won its group and qualified for Sochi. . . .

And an interesting note from the KHL. The league has mandated going to NHL-sized rinks starting with the 2013-2014 season. Hmmm. . . .
———
There was a time when the WHL would at least put out a news release in advance of its annual general meeting.
These days, it seems the WHL would prefer to operate in secrecy.
There was no news release early in the week to provide even a speck of information on what would be on the agenda. That annual two-day meeting apparently was held in Vancouver and ended Wednesday. (Allow me to ask once again: Why not hold the annual meeting in one of the league’s smaller cities, providing a hotel or two and a restaurant or three with some offseason business? Or perhaps it could have been held in Portland where it might have received far more media attention than it did in Vancouver.)
Anyway . . .
According to the WHL’s own news release:
“One of the highlights of the meetings was a report on the WHL Concussion Management Safety Program indicating that concussions were down over 20% overall during the 2012-13 season compared to the 2011-12 season. The reduced number of concussions is largely a result of the WHL's Seven Point Plan, a comprehensive education and prevention program designed to reduce contact to the head and concussions, introduced prior to the 2011-12 season.”
The WHL, of course, didn’t provide any numbers. It expects us to take this at face value.
Brain injuries, it wants us to believe, are down more than 20 per cent. Of course, that could mean 20.1 per cent; it could mean 50 per cent. It could mean anything more than 20 per cent.
But more than 20 per cent of what? The WHL needs to start giving the media and fans credit for some intelligence; in other words, don’t expect that stuff to be swallowed like so much pablum.
The WHL started hiding its injury information following a 2010-11 season in which players accumulated more than 100 brain injuries and alarm bells started to go off. Those alarm bells got louder when some media outlets made something out of the WHL having surpassed the century mark.
The WHL’s response was to start reporting all injuries as being of the upper- or lower-body variety.
And now, with no point of reference, the WHL wants us to drink the Kool-Aid and believe that brain injuries were down more than 20 per cent this season.
I would suggest that if there was a drop of even 20 per cent, it means that brain injuries were way up — way, way up — in 2011-12 from 2010-11.
It is impossible to document a precise number because the WHL and its teams simply refuse to be truthful about such injuries. However, tracking upper-body injuries and using anecdotal evidence gathered throughout this season, I would suggest there were somewhere between 75 and 110 brain injuries.
Again, this is pure speculation, the numbers having been compiled by perusing the WHL’s weekly injury list and then attempting to research each upper-body injury.
What is known is that a number of players including F Spencer Main of the Kelowna Rockets, F Brayden Cuthbert of the Moose Jaw Warriors and F Shae Howorko of the Swift Current Broncos weren’t able to start the season because of previously incurred brain injuries.
A number of others, including forward Brent Benson of Swift Current, D Albin Blomqvist of the Lethbridge Hurricanes, D Reid Jackson of the Moose Jaw Warriors, G Daniel Wapple of Moose Jaw, F Phil Tot of the Tri-City Americans and F Tyrel Seaman of the Brandon Wheat Kings were shut down during the season to allow them more time to recover from brain injuries.
Two years ago, the WHL announced a “Seven-Point Plan” aimed at reducing brain injuries.
Then, following its annual meeting a year ago, the league said in a news release: “Despite a slight increase in concussions, the WHL remains confident the Seven Point Plan will assist in reducing concussions in the future.”
In the same news release, commissioner Ron Robison stated that the league actually expected that increase.
“We anticipated the rate of concussions may increase this past season as there is more emphasis being placed now than ever before on the care and treatment of concussion injuries,” Robison stated. “We remain confident that the WHL's Seven Point Plan will address this matter effectively and reduce concussions in the seasons ahead.”
Of course, no one from the WHL has said exactly how many brain injuries were suffered during that 2011-12 season. So, again, there is no point of reference.
We aren’t likely to find out how many there were in 2012-13 either because the WHL continues to hide the numbers.
But, as mentioned, that total would appear to be between 75 and 110, and that’s far too many, especially if you are one of the unfortunate young men who has ended up with a brain injury that may have a long-term impact on your life.
But until the WHL chooses to become more transparent and provide hard numbers, we will never know what is really happening.
———
The WHL’s news release from its annual meeting that benefited the economy of Vancouver also mentioned:
1. The league will use video replay “in the offensive zone to review goal situations when a player may have scored as a result of a hand pass or high stick.” This change is too late to help the Swift Current Broncos who lost a home playoff game in OT because the on-ice officials missed a gloved pass in the goal area that resulted in a goal.
2. The league is using a “new computer assisted scheduling system.” . . . The exhibition schedule is to be released June 25, with the regular-season schedule to follow the next day.
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1. The Tri-City Americans have acquired F Jessey Astles, 20, from the Saskatoon Blades for a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2014 bantam draft. Astles had two points in 26 games with the Blades. He missed a lot of the season after suffering a skate cut to one wrist during a November game against the Regina Pats. The injury required surgery. Astles, a sixth-round selection by Kelowna in the 2008 bantam draft, played three seasons with the Rockets He was dealt to the Blades last summer.

2. The Americans now have six 1993-born players on their roster. The others are F Tyson Dallman, F Lukas Walter, D Zach Yuen, D Mitch Topping and G Luke Lee-Knight. . . . The Blades, meanwhile, have 13, but two of those are imports. . . . Teams are allowed to carry three 20-year-olds after a mid-October deadline.


3. The Prince Albert Raiders have signed F Lance Yaremchuk, a local lad who led the Saskatchewan midget AAA league in goals (38) with his hometown Mintos this season. Yaremchuk, a sixth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, is a 1996-born player. He had 63 points, leaving him fourth in the league scoring race.


4. Dan Lambert, who is prepping for his fifth season as an assistant coach with the Kelowna Rockets, has been named head coach of Team West, the Manitoba-Saskatchewan combines who will play in the U17 World Hockey Challenge in Cape Breton, Dec. 28 through Jan. 5. . . . Lambert, 43, replaces Malcolm Cameron, who stepped aside after being named head coach of the Regina Pats last month.

5. Lambert, then a defenceman with the Swift Current Broncos, played for a similar U17 team that met a touring Soviet side in a three-game series late in 1986. It was while he was with that team that the Broncos’ bus crashed, on Dec. 30, 1986, killing four of his teammates. . . . The book that is linked to at the top right of this page — Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos — is about that crash and all that happened afterwards.

6. The OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds have signed general manager Kyle Dubas to a two-year extension, taking him through 2015-16. Dubas, 27, is a Sault Ste. Marie native who signed with the team in April 2011. . . . Earlier, the Greyhounds picked up an option on head coach Sheldon Keefe and now have him signed through 2014-15.


7. Doug Harrison of CBC Sports has spoken with Sherry Bassin, the majority owner and general manager, of the OHL’s Erie Otters about the CHL’s decision to prohibit European goaltenders. That story is right here.
Bassin, who has been around since they flooded the ice with water barrels and gunnysacks, talks a lot about the lack of coaching provided to goaltenders in minor hockey.
But at the end of the story he opens another can of worms by telling Harrison that it wouldn’t surprise him if all European players were prohibited from playing in the CHL in the not-too-distant future.
Discuss.

8. The Grand Rapids Griffins closed to within one victory of the AHL championship with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Syracuse Crunch last night. . . . The Griffins lead the best-of-seven final for the Calder Cup, 3-0. Game 4 is scheduled for Friday night in Grand Rapids. . . . F Jan Mursak broke a 2-2 tie at 15:11 of the third period. . . . Game 4 will be available on AHL Live, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and ESPN America). Game time is 7 p.m. ET. . . . Attendance for Game 3 was 10,102.

9. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News has a piece right here speculating on the future of the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Will they stay, or will they go? And if they go, what is their destination? . . . Interestingly, Campbell has former Tampa Bay Lightning co-owner Oren Koules involved in a group that is “lurking in the background.” . . . Campbell also speculates that the Coyotes could end up relocating to Tacoma. Why Tacoma? Because Seattle’s Key Arena no longer has ice-making equipment or an accessible chilling system. That would precede a move to Seattle, should Chris Hansen get a new arena built for an NBA franchise that he hasn’t yet obtained. . . . Campbell doesn’t suggest an owner should the Coyotes end up Tacoma/Seattle, but I have to wonder if Bill Gallacher, who owns the Portland Winterhawks, would be involved.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The OHL’s Ottawa 67’s have added Travis Crickard, 25, to their staff as an assistant coach. A native of St. John’s, N.L., Crickard spent this season as the head coach of the major midget Ottawa Jr. 67’s, who played in the Telus Cup.
Paul Fixter has signed on with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves as the associate coach. He had been with the Kitchener Rangers as assistant GM/associate coach since 2008.
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From Guy Flaming (@TPS-Guy): "Petr Mrazek and the Grand Rapids Griffins lead Syracuse 3-0 in the AHL finals. Waiting for AHL to ban Euro goalies now.”
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From WHL Facts (@WHLFacts): “#35 - So I propose to have the Euro Netminder ban be dubbed the ‘Bartosak Rule’, since apparently he's too good for the CHL #GoalieOfTheYear”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with the Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2.Bundesliga). He had 18 goals and 36 assists in 33 games with Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga) last season. MacKay's father, Mark MacKay (Moose Jaw, 1984-85), played seven seasons with the Wild Wings, from 1995-2002, and played in six World Championships, one World Cup, and two Olympic Games for Germany.
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JUST NOTES:
The Norfolk Admirals, who last week won the AHL’s Calder Cup, have been dropped by the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead, the Lightning has signed an affiliation deal with the Syracuse Crunch. . . . The Lightning and Admirals had been hooked up through five seasons. . . . Jim Hodges, writing in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, reported that Admirals owner Ken Young “said he believes he is close to an agreement with the Anaheim Ducks.” . . . The Ducks and Crunch had been affiliated for the last two seasons. . . . Hodges also speculated that Treny Yawney, who stepped in as the Crunch’s head coach in mid-season, might return to Norfolk should the Ducks get a deal done. Yawney spent five seasons as the Admirals’ head coach when the club had an affiliation with the Chicago Blackhawks. . . .
F Jesse Paradis (Kelowna, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, 2007-12) has decided to head for the U of Manitoba where he will play for the Bisons. Paradis had 49 points, including 15 goals, in 72 games with the Blades last season as a 20-year-old.
G Keith Hamilton of the Victoria Royals had his BCHL rights involved in a trade on Thursday. Hamilton and F Austin Plevy, 18, were traded by the Merritt Centennials to the Chilliwack Chiefs for F Derek Huisman, 20.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Gerard Gallant, the head coach of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, has joined the Montreal Canadiens as an assistant coach. . . . Gallant had been the Sea Dogs’ head coach since April 24, 2009. . . .
The Colorado Avalanche has signed David Quinn as an assistant coach. He will work alongside head coach Joe Sacco and assistant coach Tim Army. . . . Quinn, 45, spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters, Colorado’s AHL affiliate. . . . The Avalanche has lost two assistant coaches in recent days, with Adam Deadmarsh having retired due to post-concussion syndrome and Sylvain Lefebvre having signed on as head coach of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

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Wednesday . . .

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Matt MacKay (Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Vancouver, Brandon, 2008-11) signed a one-year contract with Kölner Haie (Germany, DEL). He had 29 goals and 51 assists in 71 games with Vancouver Giants and Brandon Wheat Kings this season. Köln CEO Thomas Eichin: "Matt is a top talent. We are glad we were able to get him because he fits into our scheme. Young and hungry. He also has the right professional genes. His father was a very successful player." . .  . Matt's father Mark (Moose Jaw, 1984-1985), who is a Calgary-based player agent, played 12 seasons in Germany and made 50 appearances with the German national team. . . .
D Mike Egener (Calgary, 2000-04) signed a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had two goals and six assists in 44 games for the Florida Everblades (ECHL). Esbjerg head coach (and former N.Y. Islanders D) Tomas Jonsson: "He's a big, strong guy and he will help us a lot with the game in our own zone. We have long wished for a defenseman of that caliber and Mike comes with some power, so I very much look forward to working with him." . . .
F Garrett Bembridge (Saskatoon, 1997-2001) signed a one-year contract with Valpellice (Italy, Serie A). He had 25 goals and 17 assists in 48 games for Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, 2.Bundesliga) this season. . . .
G Jeff Glass (Kootenay, 2002-05) signed a two-year contract extension with Barys Astana (Kazakhstan, KHL). He had a 2.95 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 23 games for Astana this season.
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JUST NOTES: D Tyler Bell, 17, has signed to play with the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins, unless he sticks with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. Bell spent the last two seasons with the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians. Right now, he would seventh at best on the Blazers’ depth chart. . . . The Blazers, by the way, are expected to announce the signing of an assistant coach today. Head coach Guy Charron is heading into the second year of a two-year deal, so perhaps an extension will be in order for him. . . . Kamloops didn’t renew the contracts of assistants Scott Ferguson and Geoff Smith after last season ended. . . . Interesting goings-on in the NorPac Junior Hockey League where officials have suspended four of its 12 teams for next season. Matt Baldwin of the Whitefish Pilot has that story right here. . . . F Taylor Piller, who won four championships in as many SJHL seasons, has decided to attend Simon Fraser University and play hockey there. Piller won two championships with the Humboldt Broncos and two more with the La Ronge Ice Wolves. . . .
———
THE COACHING GAME: Pat Bingham is the new head coach of the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. Bingham (Kamloops, New Westminster, 1985-89) is the ninth head coach in franchise history. He spent the last four seasons on the coaching staff of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, taking over as head coach in November. . . . Former Prince George Cougars head coach Lane Lambert will be named today as an assistant coach by the NHL’s Nashville Predators. He has been the head coach of Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, for four seasons. . . . Former WHL D Ian Herbers, an assistant under Lambert for two seasons, is a candidate to take over as Milwaukee’s head coach. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post updates the situation involving the Regina Pats and contract negotiations with a few members of the organization. That piece is right here.

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

Monday . . .

MONDAY’S PLAYOFF GAMES:
In Winnipeg, F Shayne Wiebe and F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists each as the host Brandon Wheat Kings doubled the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-3. . . . The Wheat Kings lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Winnipeg on Thursday. . . . With the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair in Westman Place in Brandon, the Wheat Kings were forced to move first-round games to the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. It is the home of the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. . . . The Tigers got a goal and two helpers from F Cole Grbavac. . . . Attendance was 5,063. . . . Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy sat out this one. He was suspended for one game after taking a double minor for checking from behind in Saturday’s Game 2. . . . The Tigers also were without G Tyler Bunz (concussion), F Tyler Pitlick (ankle) and D Dylan Busenius (foot). . . . Kirk Penton of the Winnipeg Sun has a story on the game right here. Included is a bit on a third-period hit by Medicine Hat F Hunter Shinkaruk on Brandon F Brenden Walker. The hit went unpenalized, but Walker left the game. . . . Interesting. Penton’s father, Bruce, covered the Wheat Kings for the Brandon Sun in the early 1970s. . . .
In Edmonton, the Red Deer Rebels erased a 1-0 deficit with three third-period goals and beat the Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . F Byron Froese, with two, and F Daulton Siwak scored for Red Deer. Siwak broke a 1-1 tie at 18:08 and Froese provided insurance 20 seconds later. . . . F T.J. Foster had given Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 1:45 of the third. . . . The Rebels lead the series 3-0 with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday in Edmonton. . . . Red Deer F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists, giving him a WHL-high seven points in the series. . . . There were something like 23 NHL scouts on hand for the game.
———
MONDAY’S CFB COUNT:
None.
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JUST NOTES: The 50/50 draw in Saskatoon on Sunday night was won by former WHL players Dan Hulak (Swift Current, Portland, 1997-2001) and Scott McQueen (Red Deer, Saskatoon, 1997-99). They ended up splitting around $44,000. Hulak is the brother of former Blades captain Derek Hulak. . . . F Brett Ferguson of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had a goal and four assists in the first two games of the Rebels’ series with the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Mac Carruth of the Portland Winterhawks is the WHL’s goaltender of the week after going 2-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .972 save percentage in the first two games of a series with the Everett Silvertips. . . . The NAHL is adding a franchise in Minot, N.D., and there are some former WHLers involved. The Minot Daily News has more right here.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun speculates on whether the Vancouver Giants will have F James Henry (knee) back for Game 3 of their series with the Tri-City Americans. That game goes tonight in Vancouver; the Americans hold a 2-0 lead. . . . The Giants haven’t allowed Henry to chat with the media. . . . Pap’s story is right here.
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The best play-by-play man in the history of sports is about to start another season. To get you prepped, here’s a column on Vin Scully by T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times. Don’t miss the good read of the day.

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

Friday . . .

Goaltender Drew Owsley of the Tri-City Americans gets a close-up look at
Kevin Sundher of the Chilliwack Bruins during a game in the Toyota Center
at Kennewick, Wash., on Friday night.
(Photo by John Allen/AridAcres.com)

If you read only one thing today, make it this piece right here. Written by Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail, it features Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier and his view on the problem of concussions in hockey. MacGregor is the best sports essayist in Canada today, and one of the best in North America, and Regier is one of the most progressive thinkers in the game.
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After Friday’s WHL games, here are some things that we know:
1. The Saskatoon Blades, with the WHL’s best record, will meet the Prince Albert Raiders in the first round. The Raiders locked up the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot last night.
2. The Red Deer Rebels will be the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. They clinched that with a victory in Edmonton and will face either the Oil Kings or Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round.
3. The Lethbridge Hurricanes won’t be in the playoffs. That was assured when Prince Albert won and the Hurricanes lost at home to the Kootenay Ice.
4. The Moose Jaw Warriors will finish fifth and play either the Medicine Hat Tigers or Kootenay in the first round.
5. The Kamloops Blazers won’t be in the playoffs for only the second time in the franchise’s 30-year history in that city. They were finished when they lost 3-2 in a shootout to the visiting Prince George Cougars.
Here are some things we don’t know:
1. Who will finish third and fourth in the Eastern Conference? The Medicine Hat Tigers, with two games left, are third, one point ahead of the Kootenay Ice, which has one game left. The Tigers are at home to the 12th-place Calgary Hitmen tonight and then visit Calgary Sunday. The Ice is at home to Lethbridge tonight.
2. Who will finish sixth and seventh in Eastern Conference? The Brandon Wheat Kings are sixth, two points ahead of the Edmonton Oil Kings. The Wheat Kings are at home to Moose Jaw tonight, while the Oil Kings wrap things up in Red Deer. Should Brandon lose in regulation and should Edmonton win, both would have 71 points. Edmonton would win the tiebreaker on victories, 32-31.
3. What will be the first-round matchups in the Western Conference? We don’t know any of them. The Kelowna Rockets will be the No. 2 seed; the Tri-City Americans will be No. 4. Everything else is up in the air.
4. Which other Western Conference team will join Kamloops on the outside looking in? . . . Seattle is four points behind eighth-place Everett, with both teams having two games remaining. Seattle needs two victories and two Everett losses in regulation to force a sudden-death game for the final playoff spot. That game would be played in Kent, Wash., as Seattle would have more victories — 29-28. . . . Everett is in Chilliwack tonight and in Vancouver on Sunday. . . . The Thunderbirds are at home to Portland tonight and Tri-City on Sunday.
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In Edmonton, the Red Deer Rebels beat the Oil Kings 4-3 to clinch the Central Division pennant and the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed for the first round of the playoffs. . . . Attendance was 12,960. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Red Deer. . . . The Oil Kings are seventh, two points behind the sixth-place Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Wheat Kings are at home to Moose Jaw tonight. . . .
In Prince Albert, the Raiders doubled the Swift Current Broncos 6-3 and locked up the Eastern Conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The eighth-place Raiders can start preparing for a first-round matchup with the Saskatoon Blades. . . . The Raiders lost D Antoine Corbin to a kneeing major and game misconduct at 5:01 of the third period. . . . Attendance was 3,366. . . . They play again tonight in Swift Current. . . .
In Regina, F Brayden Schenn scored in OT to give the Blades a 2-1 victory over the Pats. . . . Schenn has 22 goals in 27 games with the Blades. . . . F Jordan Weal scored the game’s first two goals for Regina, giving him 42. . . . The Pats won’t be in the playoffs for a third straight season. . . . The teams will play again tonight in Saskatoon. . . .
In Lethbridge, the Kootenay Ice dumped the Hurricanes, 5-3. . . . The Hurricanes had needed a victory and a Prince Albert loss to have any chance to make the playoffs. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Cranbrook. . . .
In Moose Jaw, the Warriors beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1 in a shootout in the last regular-season game to be played in the Civic Centre (aka the Crushed Can). . . . Attendance was 2,945. . . . Former Warriors captain Mark MacKay dropped the puck for the ceremonial opening faceoff. In a nice touch, his son, Matt, took the draw for the Wheat Kings. . . . The Warriors will move into the new Multiplex in time for next season. . . . Moose Jaw F Antonin Honejsek scored in the shootout in his first game back after missing 16 with a broken ankle. . . . Moose Jaw won for the 40th time this season, the third time in franchise history that it has reached 40. . . .
In Kamloops, F Charles Inglis, the 14th shooter, scored the only goal of the shootout as the Prince George Cougars beat the Blazers, 3-2. . . . The loss dashed the Blazers’ hopes of making the playoffs. . . . Kamloops has lost seven in a row. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . . F Brett Connolly scored twice for the Cougars, giving him 45. . . .
In Portland, the Winterhawks got two goals from F Nino Niederreiter, who has 40 now, as they came from behind to beat the Everett Silvertips, 4-3. . . . The Winterhawks continue to lead the Western Conference by one point over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Portland, with 101 points, broke the century mark for the first time since 1997-98. . . . If you believe in omens, the Winterhawks won the Memorial Cup that season. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth got the victory in his first appearance since he was injured during the pregame warmup on March 4. . . . Everett continues to be without F Landon Ferraro (groin) and G Kent Simpson (ankle). . . . The Winterhawks meet the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., tonight, then return home to face Spokane on Sunday, 5 p.m., at the Rose Garden. . . . The Silvertips are eighth in the Western Conference so may end up meeting the Winterhawks in the first round. . . .
In Spokane, G Mac Engel stopped 23 shots as the Chiefs beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-0. . . . Engel has four shutouts. . . . The victory allowed the Chiefs to reach the 100-point barrier and to stay within one point of the Western Conference-leading Portland Winterhawks. . . . The Chiefs visit Tri-City tonight — they have beaten the Americans five straight times — and are in Portland on Sunday. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Mason Wilgosh scored once in his return from injury as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 5-1. . . . Wilgosh had missed 11 games. . . . The Toyota Center was sold out (5,929). . . . The Bruins had picked up at least one point in each of their last 10 games. . . . Tri-City also had F Neal Prokop (leg) back in the lineup. He sat out 28 games since being injured on Jan. 14. . . .
In Vancouver, F Geordie Wudrick scored twice as the Kelowna Rockets got past the Giants, 3-1. . . . Wudrick has 42 goals. . . . The Giants lost their eighth straight game. . . . Vancouver F Brendan Gallagher (concussion) returned to action. . . . The Giants are sixth in the Western Conference, one point behind Chilliwack. Vancouver can finish no lower than sixth. . . . The Giants are in Kelowna tonight and at home to Everett on Sunday. . . . The Bruins meet visiting Everett tonight.
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FRIDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
D Graeme Craig, Swift Current
F Andrew Rieder, Regina
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
gdrinnan.blogspot.com
     
Taking Note on Twitter

Friday's stuff . . .

The Medicine Hat Tigers played before their 286th straight regular-season sellout (4,006) on Friday night. They were leading the Kamloops Blazers 5-1 midway through the third period, when they gave up four straight power-play goals and eventually lost 6-5 in a shootout. Kamloops scored two PP goals in the last minute, each coming with G Jeff Bosch on the bench for an extra attacker that gave the visitors a 6-on-3 advantage. . . . F Colin Smith had three goals for Kamloops. It was his second hat trick of the season. F Thomas Frazee drew four assists, and F Dylan Willick scored the two late PP goals that forced OT. . . . The Blazers, who have been scuffling along in eighth place in the Western Conference, now are seventh, a point ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . . On the subject of comebacks, the Brandon Wheat Kings twice overcame three-goal deficits to beat the Blades 7-6 in Saskatoon last night. . . . Brandon F David Toews got the winner with 3:12 left in the third period. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay had a goal and two assists for Brandon and now has 37 points in 22 games since coming over from the Vancouver Giants. He also is riding a 16-game point streak. . . . Brandon D Brodie Melnychuk (broken leg) was back after missing 16 games. . . . Saskatoon was without F Marek Viedensky (groin) and F Brent Benson (knee). . . . Blades F Jake Trask had his seventh two-goal game of this season. . . .

Former Wheat Kings F Matt Calvert played his 20th game with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets last night. Calvert, who had never experienced a two-goal game, struck for three goals in a 5-3 victory over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes. . . . Calvert broke a 2-2 tie with his first goal, at 2:37 of the second period. He made it 5-2 as he, in fact, scored three straight goals. . . . Calvert, who also had an assist, has 14 points, including nine goals, in his short NHL career. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 45 shots and the Silvertips scored two shorthanded goals as they beat the visiting Portland Winterhawks 2-0 last night. . . . Everett F Tyler Maxwell got No. 39. . . .

The Washington Capitals have signed G Todd Ford (Swift Current, Prince George, Vancouver, 2000-04) to a one-year deal worth US$500,000 at the NHL level and US$40,000 in the AHL. Ford has played this season with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays and the Hershey Bears, who are Washington’s AHL affiliate. . . . F Ryan Howse of the Chilliwack Bruins scored twice in a 6-4 victory over the host Vancouver Giants last night. He has goals in nine straight games to equal Oscar Moller’s franchise record. Howse has 46 goals and is tied for the WHL lead, with Spokane C Tyler Johnson. . . . Howse is one shy of his career high in goals. His 74 points are a single-season high. He had 72 last season. . . . Howse’s second goal, the 135th of his career, was his first empty-netter. . . . The Bruins now are chasing eighth-place Prince George. Chilliwack is four back with three games in hand. . . . The Giants had C James Henry, their captain, back after he missed 22 of the last 23 games with a knee injury. . . . Chilliwack D Brandon Manning, who is the Bruins’ captain, returned after sitting out a seven-game suspension. . . .

C Tyler Johnson of the Spokane Chiefs is the second WHLer to reach 100 points this season. He got there with a goal and three assists in an 8-0 victory over visiting Prince George last night. He and Medicine Hat C Linden Vey are tied, with 102 points, atop the points derby. . . . Johnson is the first Spokane player since 1993-94 to get to 100 points. That season, the Chiefs had three 100-point men — Ryan Duthie, Maxim Betts and Valeri Bure. . . . G Adam Brown stopped 27 shots and F Geordie Wudrick got his 34th goal as the Kelowna Rockets beat the Rebels 1-0 in Red Deer last night. Kelowna, which is 2-1-0 on a Central Division swing, leads the B.C. Division by four points over Vancouver and finishes its trip in Calgary against the Hitmen tonight. . . . Kelowna D Colton Jobke was back after serving a seven-game suspension. . . . Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted early this morning that the Chicago Blackhawks and D Brent Seabrook (Lethbridge, 2000-05) are “on verge of finalizing big contract extension, hearing five years at a shade under $30 million.”

The Regina Pats moved to within three points of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot by beating the Broncos 4-3 in Swift Current when F Shayne Neigum broke a 3-3 tie at 17:25 of the third period. . . . The Broncos, however, are going the other way. They have lost seven in a row and are six points out of a playoff spot with eight games left. . . . The midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires have named Jason Johns as their new GM/head coach. He has spent the last two seasons as assistant GM/head coach of the Thorhild Titans of the North Eastern Alberta junior B league. . . . F Blake Geoffrion is expected to make his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators today against the Dallas Stars. If he does, he will become the first fourth-generation player in NHL history. He also will become the first player from the Nashville area to get into the Predators’ lineup. His great- grandfather (Howie Morenz) and grandfather (Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion) both starred for the Montreal Canadiens. And his father, Dan, played with the Winnipeg Jets and Canadiens.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca     
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Taking Note on Twitter

G Shannon Szabados, who once got some exhibition-season playing time with the Tri-City Americans, was the goaltender when the Canadian national women’s team won the Olympic gold a year ago. However, she didn’t get to partake in the immediate post-game celebration. Later, a Canadian men’s curler slashed her on a hand and drew blood. . . . That story, and it’s an entertaining read, by the Edmonton Journal’s Curtis Stock is right here.
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The Hextall name has carried a lot of weight in hockey circles for a long time, and it’s even larger in the Poplar Point, Man., area. The folks there are planning on honouring the Hextall clan Feb. 1-3, 2013. By that time, the Poplar Point Community Club, which is being restored, should be ready. Part of the celebration will include an appearance by the Detroit Red Wings alumni team.
There’s more, from the Portage Daily Graphic, right here.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, the Brandon Wheat Kings scored the game’s first five goals and went on to beat the Broncos, 6-5. . . . The Broncos cut into the deficit with four straight goals before Brandon F David Toews got his 15th at 13:43 of the third. That stood up as the winner when Swift Current F Trevor Cameron got his fifth with 1.5 seconds left in the third. . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the visiting Broncos 10-1 on Friday. One night later, the Wheat Kings struck for five goals in the first 11 minutes. . . . The Wheat Kings couldn’t have picked a better time to win a season-high five straight. . . . Brandon F Matt MacKay had a goal, his 24th, and an assist, running his point streak to 14 games and his goal streak to seven games. He has five straight multi-point games. He has 29 points in his last 14 games and has nine goals over the last seven games. . . . Brandon F Mark Stone had a goal, his 32nd, and three assists. He is riding an 11-game point streak, with 27 points over that stretch. He is third in the WHL scoring race, with 86 points. . . . Brandon got two goals from F Shayne Wiebe, who now has 35. . . . Attendance was 2,233. . . . Brandon, 8-2-0 in its last 10, is seventh in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Edmonton. . . . The Broncos, losers of five straight, slid to 10th, six points out of a playoff spot. . . .
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In Moose Jaw, the Prince Albert Raiders built up a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory over the Warriors. . . . The Warriors had beaten the host Raiders 6-3 on Friday night. . . . F Mark McNeill had a goal, his 25th, and added an assist for the Raiders. . . . D Jordan Rowley’s fourth goal at 2:19 of the second, stood up as the winner. . . . F Quinton Howden got his 38th for the Warriors at 10:40 of the third and F Sebastian Svendsen added his 23rd at 17:53. . . . The Raiders held an 18-6 edge in first-period shots, but the Warriors had a 34-22 edge over the last two periods. . . . Prince Albert G Eric Williams stopped 38 shots, 19 of them in the third period. . . . Moose Jaw’s Thomas Heemskerk made 37 saves. . . . Attendance was 2,736, which means the Crushed Can, which has six regular-season games left plus playoffs, was rocking. . . . The Warriors are fifth in the conference and likely will finish there. . . . The Raiders hold down the conference’s last playoff spot by five points over Lethbridge. . . .
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In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored a 6-5 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings in the night’s wildest game. . . . Edmonton held a 3-1 lead with 13 minutes left in the third period and was ahead 4-2 when F Kristians Pelss scored his second of the game, and 11th of the season, at 10:40. . . . The Hurricanes then scored three straight goals and Edmonton needed a score from F Jordan Hickmott, his 25th, at 15:52, to force OT. . . . Lethbridge F Mitch Maxwell had the only goal of the three-round shootout. . . . Maxwell had two assists in regulation time. . . . Lethbridge F Graham Hood had a goal and two assists. . . . Edmonton got two assists from F Stephane Legault and F Michael St. Croix. . . . Attendance was 3,300. . . . The Hurricanes, who have 13 games left, are five points out of the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . Edmonton is sixth, one point ahead of Brandon. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, G Tyler Bunz stopped 22 shots to lead the Tigers to a 4-0 victory over the Regina Pats. . . . He has three shutouts this season and five in his career. . . . The victory was the 70th of Bunz’s WHL career which has him fifth on the Tigers’ career list. . . . Regina has been blanked three times. . . . Medicine Hat F Boston Leier scored the game’s first and third goals. They were his first two WHL goals. The 17-year-old from Saskatoon was playing in his 37th game this season. He also played three games last season. . . . Tigers F Linden Vey, who leads the WHL scoring race, had a goal, his 40th, and an assist. He has 98 points. . . . F Emerson Etem scored his 33rd goal for the Tigers. It came shorthanded at 19:12 of the first period. . . . F Reid Petryk and D Alex Theriau each had two assists. . . . The Tigers, already without D Matthew Konan (concussion) and D Scott Ramsay (concussion), lost D Jace Coyle on Friday with an undisclosed injury. . . . Medicine Hat dressed 17 skaters, one under the maximum. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . The Tigers, who have clinched a playoff spot, moved into a tie with Kootenay for third in the conference. . . . Medicine Hat is at home to Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Pats are 11th and, with 12 games left, are seven points out of a playoff spot. . . .
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In Red Deer, F Brett Ferguson scored in OT to give the Rebels a 4-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Ferguson, who is riding a 16-game point streak, got his second goal of the game, and 21st of the season, at 1:40 of extra time. He has 25 points over those 16 games. . . . The Rebels coughed up 2-0 and 3-2 leads to the Blazers, who went 3-for-8 on the PP while keeping the Rebels’ PP scoreless in seven tries. . . . That included a major penalty for checking from behind to Kamloops D Josh Caron at 6:14 of the second period. Red Deer F Josh Cowen didn’t return after taking that hit. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch, who stopped 46 shots in a 4-3 OT victory in Edmonton on Friday night, turned aside 42 shots in this one, includig 16 in the second period. . . . Red Deer G Darcy Kuemper stopped 24 shots in earning his 38th victory. . . . Kamloops F Thomas Frazee had two assists. . . . Kamloops D Bronson Maschmeyer forced OT with his seventh goal at 12:32 of the third. . . . Each team has gone to OT in its last three games. . . . The Blazers beat visiting Tr-City 3-2, then won in Edmonton. . . . The Rebels have gone to OT in three straight home games, losing 4-3 to Prince George, then beating Lethbridge 2-1. . . . Attendance was 5,566. . . . Red Deer is second in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Saskatoon, which holds two games in hand. . . . The Blazers are in possession of the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot and they now are four points ahead of Chilliwack, which holds four games in hand. . . .
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In Cranbrook, F Brayden Schenn scored two goals and added an assist as the Saskatoon Blades scored a 5-3 victory over the host Kootenay Ice. . . . Saskatoon F Marek Viedensky broke a 3-3 tie with his 27th goal at 17:53 of the third period. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Trask scored his 25th goal into an empty net at 19:18. . . . Schenn has 14 goals this season. . . . The Ice, which was down 3-1 going into the third period, got a shorthanded goal from F Kevin King, his 29th, at 3:55 and F Jesse Ismond’s second of the game, and 15th of the season, at 12;15. . . . Saskatoon was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Ice was 1-for-3. . . . D Hayden Rintoul had two assists for the Ice. . . . Saskatoon is 18-1-0 against the Central Division, including 14 straight victories. . . . The Blades are 3-0 against the Ice. . . . Attendance was 3,083. . . . Saskatoon, which is in Medicine Hat tonight, continues to lead the Eastern Conference. . . . The Ice is tied for third with Medicine Hat. . . .
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In Portland, F Nino Niederreiter scored three times to lead the Winterhawks to a 6-3 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . The Winterhawks clinched a playoff spot. . . . It was Niederreiter’s first hat trick of this season and the second of his career. . . . Niederreiter has 27 goals in 41 games after scoring 36 in 65 last season. . . . Niederreiter, the 18-year-old Swiss sophomore, also had an assist. The four points give him 107 points in 106 career regular-season games. . . . Portland D Taylor Aronson and D William Wrenn each had two assists. Wrenn has 11 points and his plus-21 in 18 games. . . . Portland F Craig Cunningham had a goal, his 22nd, and an assist, while F Ryan Johansen also scored once, giving him 30, and drew an assist. . . . Portland led 2-0 when the Bruins stormed back and tied with on PP goals by F Robin Soudek and F Ryan Howse. . . . The goal was his 42nd and his franchise-record 17th PP goal of the season. . . . Niederreiter and Johansen then scored at 4;01 and 6:47 of the second period. . . . The Bruins allowed a franchise single-game record 61 shots, which allowed G Braden Gamble to set a single-game record with 55 saves. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 19 shots. . . . Chilliwack F Roman Horak, who was scratched minutes before a 6-2 loss to the host Tri-City Americans on Friday, was back in the Bruins’ lineup. . . . Attendance was 10,145. . . . Portland, which is 8-2-0 in its last 10 leads the U.S. Division by a point over Spokane. The Winterhawks hold a game in hand. . . . Chilliwack is ninth in the conference, four points out of a playoff spot. . . . The Bruins are in Kent, Wash., to face the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . .
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In Prince George, the Everett Silvertips jumped out to a 2-0 lead and never trailed as they beat the Cougars, 4-3. . . . The Silvertips had beaten the host Cougars 4-1 on Friday. . . . Everett F Ryan Harrison got his 20th goal at 18:49 of the second period and it proved the winner. . . . Prince George F Taylor Stefishen got his 20th at 9:27 of the third. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson, making his 14^th straight start, stopped 28 shots. . . . Prince George F Charles Inglis, who earlier had scored his 24th goal, failed to score on a penalty shot at 13:50 of the third period with the visitors leading 4-3. . . . Everett F Tyler Maxwell scored his 38th goal, while Prince George F Brett Connolly got his 36th. . . . Attendance was 2,418. . . . The victory lifted the Silvertips into a tie with the Cougars for sixth in the conference. Each has 13 games remaining. . . . The Cougars do have three more victories. . . .
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In Kennewick, Wash., the Spokane Chiefs scored three second-period PP goals as they beat the host Tri-City Americans, 6-2. . . . The game turned after Tri-City D Sam Grist was tossed with a boarding major at 7:14 of the second period. . . . The Chiefs, who clinched a playoff spot with their third straight victory, scored three PP goals to break open what had been a 1-1 game. . . . Spokane F Tyler Johnson and D Brenden Kichton each had two goals and an assist. . . . Johnson has a WHL-high 45 goals. His 978 points leave him second in the scoring race, one point behind Medicine Hat F Lindey Vey. . . . Spokane F Levko Koper had two assists, giving him 70 points in 59 games. He has hit career highs in goals (30), assists (40) and points (70). . . . F Blake Gal added a goal and two assists for the Chiefs, who got two assists from F Mitch Holmberg. . . . Gal has six goals in eight games against the Americans this season. . . . F Adam Hughesman scored his 39th goal for the Americans. . . . The Chiefs were 3-for-4 on the PP; the Americans were 2-for-5. . . . Attendance was 5,829. . . . The Chiefs kept pace with Portland and continue to trail the U.S. Division leaders by one point. . . . The Americans are four points behind the Chiefs but do hold three games in hand. . . . The Chiefs are back in Kennewick on Monday to play a game that was postponed due to poor ice conditions on New Year’s Eve. It will be the ninth of 12 meetings, with each team having won four times. . . .
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In Kelowna, F Evan Bloodoff scored the game’s first two goals and the Rockets went on to a 6-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Bloodoff, who has 19 goals, scored shorthanded at 3:06 of the first period and added a PP score at 8:09. . . . The Giants got to within 2-1 and 4-3 but weren’t able to equalize. . . . Kelowna was 3-for-7 on the PP; the Giants were 0-for-3. . . . F Geordie Wudrick got his 32nd goal for the Rockets, while Kelowna F Mitchell Callahan closed out the scoring with his 20th. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown and Vancouver G Mark Segal each stopped 27 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,134. . . . Doyle Potenteau has the game story over at DubNation. . . . This was the fourth straight game in which the Rockets have beaten the Giants. It also lifted Kelowna back atop the B.C. Division. They are tied with 67 points, but the Rockets, who have one game in hand, have two more victories. . . . The Giants don’t play again until Friday, when they entertain Chilliwack. On that night, Vancouver will induct Boston Bruins F Milan Lucic into its Ring of Honour. Yes, Lucic will be in the house. Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald talked with Lucic about it and the story is right here.
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SATURDAY’S CFB COUNT:
Two minors:
Chilliwack F Roman Horak
Spokane D Cogbin Baldwin
One major:
Kamloops D Josh Caron

Roy MacGregor of The Globe and Mail is the best essayist/sports columnist in Canada today.
His column in Saturday’s paper carries this headline: How to break Neanderthals’ grip on hockey?
It starts with this sentence:
“If hockey is truly ‘a man’s game,’ then why are the games brought to us by Cialis and Viagra?”
As he writes later in the piece: “It is a great game, but it surely needs some work.”
This is your must-read piece for today and it is right here.
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Interestingly, MacGregor wrote and filed his column before the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders staged that embarrassing exhibition on Friday evening.The NHL had quite a week, didn’t it?
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While enjoying some time off this week, I heard someone -- it may have been Bob McCown on The Fan 590 out of Toronto -- mention that there were, at that particular time, 43 NHL players out with concussions.
I don’t know where that number came from, but I went on TSN’s website late Friday night and started counting. I found 23 players listed as being out with a concussion, concussion symptoms or a head injury. There are a bunch of players on the list with undisclosed injuries, so perhaps there is another list out there somewhere that showed 43 concussed NHLers.
Regardless, it got me to wondering: How many WHL players have suffered concussions this season?
So I spent some time perusing the WHL injury/transaction update that is posted on the league’s website early each week.
Interestingly, six of the WHL’s 22 teams have reported a number of head injuries but not even one concussion. On the other hand, 10 teams have reported concussions but no head injuries.
Including the injury report of Feb. 8, WHL teams have listed a total of 78 players as having suffered head injuries or concussions. Of those, 43 have suffered concussions and 35 are listed as having had head injuries.
(Another five players are shown to have incurred neck injuries.)
Of course, there is nothing here to indicate how these injuries happened. For example, there are goaltenders on the list who were concussed when struck on the mask by a shot or a stick.
But there also are two players on the list who suffered season-ending concussions and one other who hasn’t played since Dec. 10.
As of the Feb. 8 list, there were 13 players out with concussions or head injuries.
No matter how you look at it, there are far too many head injuries, certainly at this level of hockey and in the NHL.
The message, whatever it is, isn’t getting through.
Consider, too, that Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier is reporting: “Last season, the WHL handed out 110 games in suspensions; this season, it’s already at 135.”
That doesn’t include an impending suspension to Kelowna Rockets F Colton Jobke. He was hit with an interference major on Friday night for a hit that ended the season of Chilliwack Bruins F Tim Traber, who suffered a broken leg.
Here’s what Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska, speaking after the game, told Potenteau: “I didn’t think it was a good hit. Traber didn’t have the puck, and, from what I saw originally — and I haven’t looked at since — I thought it wasn’t a very good hit. Even though he’s our player, it’s one of the hits where I wouldn’t want to see one of our guys get hit that way.”
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A look at WHL teams and the number of concussion and head injuries each has reported through Feb. 8 (first number is concussions; second number is head injuries):
Brandon 0-0
Calgary 0-6
Chilliwack 5-0
Edmonton 2-4
Everett 8-0
Kamloops 5-0
Kelowna 0-5
Kootenay 1-2
Lethbridge 0-4
Medicine Hat 3-0
Moose Jaw 2-1
Portland 0-0
Prince Albert 0-3
Prince George 1-0
Red Deer 3-0
Regina 3-0
Saskatoon 5-0
Seattle 2-0
Spokane 0-4
Swift Current 2-1
Tri-City 3-0
Vancouver 3-0
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES:
In Whitehorse, F Brendan Gallagher scored twice to help the Vancouver Giants to a 3-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The game was played in a soldout Takhini Arena, which has 1,535 seats. . . . This was the first WHL regular-season game to be played in the Yukon, although the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Kootenay Ice played two exhibition games in Yellowknife, North West Territories, in 2005. . . . The arena didn’t include glass that meets WHL standards so both teams agreed to have the officials ignore what would have been delay-of-game penalties in WHL arenas. . . . The victory was No. 516 in the WHL for Vancouver head coach Don Hay, who is fourth on the all-time list. Pat Ginnell is No. 3, at 518. . . . The Giants have won 14 of their last 18 games. . . . Gallagher broke a 2-2 tie when he tipped a shot by F Spencer Bennett past G Jeff Bosch. . . . Gallagher has 38 goals. . . . Bennett set up both of Gallagher’s goals. . . . Vancouver G Mark Segal stopped 26 shots, two fewer than Bosch. . . . Vancouver remains atop the B.C. Division, meaning it is the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. It now is four points ahead of Kelowna. . . . The Blazers slipped into ninth, one point behind Chilliwack. . . .
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In Chilliwack, the Bruins, without three veteran defencemen, beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1. . . . F Ryan Howse scored twice, giving him 39 goals, and added an assist. . . . F Max Adolph gave Kelowna a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the season in the first period. . . . F Brandon Magee tied it for the Bruins at 3:25 of the second and F Kevin Sundher, with his 18th, gave them the lead at 17:20. . . . Howse added two third-period goals. . . . The Bruins were without veteran defencemen Brandon Manning, who is serving a seven-game suspension, and the injured Jeff Einhorn and Zach Habscheid. . . . F Curt Gogol dropped back to the blue line and Turner Popoff, 16, was brought in from the junior B Richmond Sockeyes and made his WHL debut. . . . The Bruins also were without F Tim Traber, who will miss the rest of this season with a broken right leg suffered in Friday’s 5-4 shootout victory in Kelowna. Rockets F Colton Jobke was hit with an interference major on the play in which Traber was injured. Jobke has been suspended, although the length of that suspension isn’t yet known. . . . Chilliwack G Lucas Gore stopped 26 shots. . . . The Rockets were 0-for-2 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-1. . . . Attendance was 2,909. . . . The victory lifted the Bruins into eighth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of Kamloops. Chilliwack holds four games in hand on Kamloops. . . . The Bruins are at home to Tri-City tonight. . . . The Rockets travel to Everett to face the Silvertips tonight. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., F Ryan Johansen had his first WHL three-goal game, leading the Portland Winterhawks to an 8-2 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . The Winterhawks, who lead the Western Conference, are one victory away from clinching a playoff spot. . . . Portland scored its first five goals on the PP as it went 6-for-7 with the man advantage. . . . Johansen has 30 goals. . . . Portland D Joe Morrow had a goal and three assists. . . . Seattle had a 17-5 edge in first-period shots but went into the second period trailing 1-0. . . . The Winterhawks outshot Seattle 20-7 in the second and emerged with a 5-1 lead. . . . Portland G Keith Hamilton stopped 35 shots. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard was beaten seven times on 35 shots before Michael Salmon came on. He was beaten once on two shots. . . . Attendance was 4,771. . . . The Winterhawks lead the Western Conference and hold a five-point lead over Spokane in the U.S. Division. . . . Seattle, with one victory in 10 games, is 10th in the conference and now is five points out of a playoff spot. . . . Spokane visits the Thunderbirds tonight. . . .
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In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored three times to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . MacKay’s third goal, his 21st of the season, came into an empty net with 11.6 seconds left in the third period. . . . F T.J. Foster scored three times for Edmonton, while F Dylan Wruck earned four assists and set the franchise’s modern day record for points (64) in a season. . . . Brandon has won six straight home games. . . . Foster has 23 goals. . . . D Ryan Pulock and F Brenden Walker each had two assists for Brandon. . . . Pulock, a 16-year-old from Grandview, Man., has 27 points in 49 games and certainly is in the conversation when the discussion is about the Eastern Conference’s top rookie. . . . Attendance was 4,120. . . . Brandon is back in action Tuesday when the Saskatoon Blades and F Brayden Schenn come calling. The Wheat Kings dealt Schenn to Saskatoon on Jan. 10. . . . The Wheat Kings, seventh in the Eastern Conference, closed to within three points of the sixth-place Oil Kings. Edmonton has one game in hand. . . . The Oil Kings move on to Swift Current tonight. . . .
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In Moose Jaw, F Marek Viedensky and F Jake Trask each scored twice for Saskatoon as the Blades beat the Warriors, 5-3. . . . The Blades have won 11 in a row. . . . Viedensky has 27 goals. . . . Trask, whose second goal was into an empty net, now has 21 goals. . . . F Cody Beach had a goal and two assists for the Warriors. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 43 shots. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 26 shots and now is 32-3-0. I’m thinking he has the Cy Young Award locked up. . . . After Beach gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead, the Blades scored three times, twice on the PP, to take a 3-1 lead into the second. . . . The Warriors tied it before Viedensky broke the 3-3 deadlock at 18:22 of the third. . . . Referees Derek Zalaski and Cole Hamm handed out nine roughing minors and six for unsportsmanlike conduct. There were only two scraps, though. . . . Attendance was 2,730. . . . The Blades lead the WHL in victories (44), points (90) and winning percentage (.804). In fact, only one other team (Red Deer, .716) is over .700. . . .The Warriors are fifth and appear likely to finish there. . . .
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In Regina, the Pats got two shootout goals and beat the Medicine Hat Tigers, 3-2. . . . The Pats led 2-0 in the second period, on goals by D Brandon Davidson and F Lane Scheidl, only to have the Tigers come back and tie it. D Jace Coyle scored at 13:40 of the second and F Kellan Tochkin tied it at 6:52 of the third. . . . Medicine Hat F Linden Vey had two assists and now has 92 points. He is tied for the scoring lead with Spokane F Tyler Johnson. . . . F Shayne Neigum and Scheidl scored for Regina in the SO, while only F Wacey Hamilton was able to beat G Matt Hewitt for the Tigers. . . . Hewitt stopped 32 shots through OT and three more in the SO. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made 34 saves. Regina D Myles Bell was unable to beat him on a second period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 3,996. . . . The Pats are tied for 10th with Lethbridge, just two points behind Prince Albert and Swift Current, who are tied for eighth. . . . Medicine Hat is fourth, one point behind Kootenay. . . .
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In Swift Current, F Max Reinhart scored two goals 34 seconds apart as the Kootenay Ice beat the Broncos, 6-4. . . . The Ice, which has clinched a playoff spot, led 3-0 after one period and 4-1 late in the second, only to have the Broncos tie it 4-4 on F Andy Blanke’s fifth goal of the season at 6:59 of the third. . . . F Joe Antilla got the winner at 14:42 and D James Martin nailed the empty-netter at 19:44. . . . F Cody Eakin, traded to the Ice by the Broncos on Jan. 9 for five players and three draft picks, had one assist in his return to Swift Current. . . . F Drew Czerwonka had three assists for the Ice. . . . Reinhart, who scored the game’s first two goals, has 29 this season. . . . Attendance was 2,525. . . . The Ice is third in the Eastern Conference, six points behind Red Deer and one up on Medicine Hat. . . . The Broncos, with one victory in 10 games, are tied with Prince Albert for the conference’s last playoff spot. . . . The Broncos are at home again tonight, this time to Edmonton. . . .
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In Calgary, G Brandon Glover stopped 32 shots to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 4-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . The Hitmen scored three times in the first period, with F Justin Kirsch getting his 22nd at 4:12. . . . F Kris Foucault, with his 17th, and F Misha Fisenko, with his seventh, also scored in that first period. . . . F Brett Connolly got his 33rd on the PP at 7:44 of the second. . . . Foucault later added his 18th into an empty net. He also had an assist. . . . Calgary F Brendan Santini had two helpers. . . . Cougars G Ty Rimmer stopped 18 shots. . . . Attendance was 9,385. . . . The Hitmen are 12th in the Eastern Conference and, barring a miracle, won’t make the playoffs. . . . The Cougars are sixth in the Western Conference, four points behind Kelowna and three ahead of Everett. . . . The Cougars have a game in Red Deer tonight. . . .
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In Lethbridge, G Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Hurricanes, 3-0. . . . Kuemper, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, leads all of the CHL with 11 shutouts. He has 17 in his career. . . . He had three in each of his previous two seasons. . . . F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 20th goal, while F Byron Froese had a goal, his 34th, and an assist, and F Andrej Kudrna got his 25th goal. . . . With Red Deer short on the back end, Froese dropped back and played a lot on defence. . . . Lethbridge G Brandon Anderson stopped 39 shots. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson had an assist to run his point streak to 13 games, the longest active streak in the league today. He has 21 points over that stretch. . . . Attendance was 3,790. . . . Lethbridge is tied with Regina for 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff spot. . . . Red Deer leads the Central Division and is seven points behind conference-leading Saskatoon. . . . Red Deer is at home to Prince George tonight. . . .
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In Spokane, F Levko Koper drew four assists as the Chiefs dumped the Tri-City Americans, 7-2. . . . The Chiefs were 4-for-7 on the PP, while the Americans were 0-for-6. . . . F Tyler Johnson had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs. He leads the WHL with 43 goals and his 92 points have on the top rung alongside Medicine Hat F Linden Vey. . . . Spokane D Brenden Kichton had a goal and two assists. . . . Spokane G Mac Engel stopped 22 shots. . . . Tri-City G Drew Owsley left early in the second period with an apparent knee injury. . . . Attendance was 10,475. . . . The Chiefs are second in the U.S. Division, five points behind Portland with two games in hand. . . . The Americans are three points in back of Spokane. Tri-City holds three games in hand on Spokane and five on Portland. . . . The Americans play in Chilliwack tonight, while the Chiefs are in Kent, Wash., to face Seattle.
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SATURDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Three minors:
Medicine Hat F Kale Kessy
Kelowna F Evan Bloodoff
Tri-City D Sam Grist

By now, you may be aware that the San Jose Sharks had former WHL G Jordan White (Prince George, Portland, 2006-08) on their bench during a 2-1 shootout victory over the Canucks in Vancouver on Thursday night. White, who attends UBC and plays for the Thunderbirds, signed a one-game amateur tryout and backed up Antti Niemi after Antero Niittymaki suffered a groin injury. Matthew Sekeres of The Globe and Mail has a good piece right here on White and how his day went. . . . Note that the the Sharks have signed JP Anderson, 18, of the OHL’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and he’ll backup Niemi tonight against the visiting Minnesota Wild.
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SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY’S GAMES:
In Prince Albert, F Tyler Fiddler scored two goals to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . Fiddler, who is from Prince Albert, was named the game’s first star. He has nine goals. . . . F Igor Revenko gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead in the first period, but the Hitmen scored the next six goals. . . . That included D Ben Wilson get his third of the season on a second-period penalty shot. . . . F Jonathan Parker scored his 28th of the season for the Raiders. . . . D Jaynen Rissling scored his fourth goal and was plus-4 for Calgary. . . . Attendance was 2,442. . . .
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In Swift Current, G Damien Ketlo stopped 47 shots to lead the Regina Pats to a 4-0 victory over the Broncos. . . . The Pats have 17 victories this season; they are 6-0-0 against the Broncos. The teams will meet two more times, both in Swift Current. . . . Ketlo has two shutouts this season and two in his career. He is 5-0-0 with two shutouts against Swift Current. . . . F Jordan Weal had a goal, his 21st, and two assists. . . . F Lyndon Martell notched his fifth goal in 10 games and was plus-3. . . . Attendance was 2,509. . . .
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In Brandon, F Matt MacKay scored one goal and set up three others as the Wheat Kings dropped the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 6-4. . . . MacKay, whose father Mark was born in Brandon, was acquired from the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 5. This was his first goal with the Wheat Kings. . . . F Scott Glennie and F Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists for Brandon, while F Michael Ferland scored twice. . . . The Wheat Kings scored the game’s last three goals, with MacKay pulling them into a 4-4 tie just 19 seconds into the third period. . . . Stone got his 23rd on the PP at 7:58 and Ferland got the empty-netter. . . . F Brody Sutter had two goals and an assist for the Hurricanes, while F Cam Braes had a goal and two helpers and F Austin Fyten had two assists. . . . Lethbridge F Ryan Moser scored his first goal of the season in his 31st game. He now has seven in 96 career games. . . . Attendance was 3,683. . . .
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In Edmonton, F Antonin Honejsek scored twice and set up two others to help the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 6-3 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . Honejsek has 20 goals this season. . . . Moose Jaw D Collin Bowman got the game’s first two goals, in the first period, giving him 10. . . . The Warriors took control with two PP goals in the first, by Bowman at 17:38 and F Joey Kornelsen, at 18:57. . . . Moose Jaw G Thomas Heemskerk stopped 32 shots. . . . Attendance was 6,930. . . .
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In Medicine Hat, F Daulton Siwak broke a 3-3 tie at 8:00 of the third period and the Red Deer Rebels went on to beat the Tigers, 5-3. . . . Red Deer F Brett Ferguson added insurance at 15:02. . . . Red Deer D Matt Dumba had two assists. . . . The Rebels, who won their 30th game, got a shorthanded goal from F Turner Elson, who was plus-3. . . . F Emerson Etem scored twice for the Tigers. He has 27. . . . The Rebels led 3-1 going into the third when Etem scored at 1:46 and F Wacey Hamilto got his 13th at 2:49. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Josh Aldrich of the Red Deer Advocate reports that the Rebels last won in Medicine Hat on Nov. 18, 2006. Red Deer had been 0-12-1 in The Hat since then. . . .
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In Kamloops, D Brandon Manning scored his 14th goal of the season on a PP in overtime to give the Chilliwack Bruins a 3-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . Manning loaded up from the middle point and fired a high shot past G Jeff Bosch just 21 seconds into extra time. . . . The Bruins forced OT on F Curt Gogol’s goal at 16:15 of the third period. . . . Chilliwack F Ryan Howse had a goal and an assist, and now holds the Bruins’ franchise record for career points. He has 184 career points, one more than Mark Santorelli (2006-08). . . . Attendance was 4,367. . . .
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In Spokane, the Chiefs broke a 3-3 tie with three third-period goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-2. . . . F Dominik Uher broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal of the game and 14th of the season on the PP at 6:57 of the third. . . . F Tyler Johnson added his WHL-leading 35th at 16:20, on another PP, and F Steve Kuhn iced it with a shorthanded empty-netter at 19:00. . . . The game was played indoors at Veterans Memorial Arena. Attendance was 5,523. . . . Johnson also had two assists, while Uher had one. . . . The Chiefs have won four in a row, including two straight over the Ice. The season series now is 2-2. . . . F Cody Eakin, acquired from the Swift Current Broncos for three players and five draft picks on Jan. 9, made his debut with the Ice and scored his 19th goal of the season. He had been out with a hand injury since the end of the World Junior Championship on Jan. 5. . . . The Chiefs are at home to the Kelowna Rockets tonight and it’s Jon Klemm Bobblehead Night. Klemm, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, is an assistant coach with the Chiefs. . . .
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In Vancouver, D Darren Bestland got the winner and G Mark Segal the shutout as the Giants beat the Prince George Cougars, 3-0. . . . Bestland, who was acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 5, scored his sixth goal of the season at 3:35 of the second period on the PP. . . . Bestland has five points, including two goals, in seven games with the Giants. . . . Vancouver G Spencer Bennett had an assist to run his point streak to 10 games. He has 15 points in that stretch. . . . Segal stopped 30 shots for his fourth shutout this season and the eighth of his career. He also had four last season. . . . The Giants have won seven of 10 and now lead the B.C. Division by a point over the Kelowna Rockets and four over Prince George. . . . Attendance was 7,116. . . .
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In Everett, F Riley Boychuk’s goal at 4:11 of overtime gave the Portland Winterhawks a 3-2 victory over the Silvertips. . . . Boychuk has 11 goals this season. . . . The Winterhawks, who won their 30th game, led 2-0 midway through the second period on goals by F Taylor Peters, his fourth, and D William Wrenn, his first. . . . Everett countered with second-period goals by Jari Erricson, his fifth, and F Clayton Cumiskey, his fifth. Cumiskey scored shorthanded at 18:17. . . . F Ty Rattie had two assists for Portland. . . . Attendance was 5,962. . . . Everett was without F Landon Ferraro, who has a sports hernia and is likely to have surgery. . . . With Ferraro gone, D Ryan Murray will serve as Everett’s captain. . . . If you’re in Portland, don’t forget that today’s game against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds begins at 2 p.m. . . .
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In Kent, Wash., the Kelowna Rockets scored two shorthanded empty-net goals to seal a 6-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . F Zach Franko broke a 2-2 tie with his second goal, and 11th of the season, at 8:59 of the second on the PP and F Evan Bloodoff made it 4-2 with his 11th at 19:19. . . . Seattle F Colin Jacobs cut the deficit to one, with his 17th, at 14:28 of the third on the PP, but Kelowna D Tyson Barrie netted two empty-netters to ice it. . . . Barrie has eight goals this season. . . . Franko, 17, is riding a nine-game point streak. He has 11 points, including five goals, over that stretch. . . . On the season, he’s got 35 points, 11 of them goals, in 45 games. . . . Attendance was 4,730.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
TWO MINORS:
Swift Current D Kyle Verdino
Edmonton F Cameron Abney

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