Showing posts with label Max Gerlach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Max Gerlach. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Scout no fan of shootout ... 'Cane train rolls through Red Deer ... Pats get past Warriors


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 F Chris St. Jacques (Medicine Hat, 1999-2004) has signed a contract for the rest of this season with Eispiraten Crimmitschau (Germany, DEL2). This season, he had nine goals and 21 assists in 24 games with Füchse Duisburg (Germany, Oberliga). He was released on Jan. 14. . . .
F Jiří Smejkal (Moose Jaw, Kamloops, 2014-16) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Sparta Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga). This season, he had three goals and an assist in 26 games with Medveščak Zagreb (Croatia, KHL).
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ECHLF Casey Pierro-Zabotel, a former WHL scoring champion, had two assists for the Colorado Eagles in a 5-2 ECHL victory over the visiting Anchorage Aces on Wednesday night. The first of those assists was Pierro-Zabotel’s 400th career regular-season ECHL point. In 451 games, he has 123 goals and 278 assists. He also has played with the Wheeling Nailers, Cincinnati Cyclones, Bakersfield Condors, Gwinnett Gladiators, Florida Everblades and Allen Americans. . . . Pierro-Zabotel, 28, won the WHL’s 2008-09 scoring title when he put up 115 points in 72 games with the Vancouver Giants.
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Mike Fraser has a good rant in the Westman Journal this week. Fraser scouts for the Brandon Wheat Kings so sees more minor hockey games than is good for his health. (Most of his tweets include a photo featuring a Wheat Kings leather folder and a cuppa Starbucks.) Anyway, he has seen enough of, you guess it, the shootout and says it’s time for it go the way of the dodo bird. That piece is right here.
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Is F Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins bad news for the NHL? Will Steve Yzerman move G Ben Bishop out of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s dressing room? Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman looks at those issues and more in his weekly 30 Thoughts right here.
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If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:

At Kelowna, the Rockets erased a 1-0 first-period deficit with two PP goals and went on to dump the Calgary Hitmen, 8-2. . . . The Hitmen took a 1-0 lead on F Beck Malenstyn’s 22nd goal at 10:40. . . . At
DILLON DUBE
11:41, Calgary lost F Mark Kastelic with a charging major and game misconduct at 11:41 of the first period. . . . F Kole Lind, who took that hit, left the game but returned and finished with three assists. . . . The hosts scored two PP goals during the major penalty — F Dillon Dube (7) scored at 12:15 and F Calvin Thurkauf (23) at 14:12. . . . F Nick Merkley made it 3-1 with his 13th goal, at 19:21. . . . Calgary got to within a goal when F Luke Coleman got his 11th just 20 seconds into the second period. . . . Kelowna closed it out with the game’s last five goals. . . . Dube, Merkley and Thurkauf each had two goals and two assists. Dube’s NHL rights are owned by the Calgary Flames, who own the Hitmen. . . . F Nolan Foote (11) and D Devante Stephens (9) also scored for Kelowna. . . . D Cal Foote had two assists for Kelowna, with Stephens adding one. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 25 shots for the Rockets. . . . Calgary starter Trevor Martin allowed seven goals on 32 shots in 32:24. Kyle Dumba finished up with eight saves on nine shots in 27:35. . . . Kelowna was 3-4 on the PP; Calgary was 0-4. . . . The Rockets (28-19-4) had lost their previous two games. They are fourth in the B.C. Division, two points behind the Victoria Royals. . . . The Hitmen (18-13-9) have lost two in a row. They remain one point out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 5,018.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Max Gerlach scored two goals and added an assist as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Kootenay Ice, 6-2. . . . Gerlach, a sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas, has 47 points,
MAX GERLACH
including 29 goals, in 52 games. Last season, Gerlach finished with 45 points, including 30 goals, in 72 games. . . . On Tuesday night, The Tigers had scored the game’s last three goals in a 4-3 victory over the visiting Ice. Last night, Medicine Hat accounted for the final four goals. . . . Gerlach, at 1:22 of the first period, and F Mark Rassell (23), at 8:56 of the second, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. . . . Kootenay tied it on goals from F Brett Davis (15), on a PP, at 17:16 of the second and F Vince Loschiavo (19), at 1:40 of the third. . . . Tigers F James Hamblin broke the tie with his 13th goal at 4:47. . . . F Matt Bradley (22) added insurance at 12:44. . . . Gerlach and F Gary Haden (5) added goals and 13:21 and 13:40. . . . Hamblin and D Kristians Rubins had two assists each for Medicine Hat. . . . Loschiavo also had an assist. . . . G Michael Bullion blocked 23 shots to earn the victory over Payton Lee, who stopped 35 shots. . . . The Ice was 1-3 on the PP; the Tigers were 0-1. . . . Medicine Hat (36-15-1) has won five in a row and is third in the overall standings, four points behind the Regina Pats and two in arrears of the Prince George Cougars. . . . Kootenay (12-33-8) has lost its past three games as it searches for its 13th victory, one more than it won all of last season. . . . Announced attendance: 1,526.
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At Portland, F Evan Weinger broke a 2-2 tie at 17:09 of the second period and the Winterhawks went on to a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Weinger, a 19-year-old from El Segundo, Calif., has 33
EVAN WEINGER
points, including 16 goals, in 51 games this season. Last season, his second with Portland, he finished with 10 goals and 15 assists in 63 games. . . . F Collin Shirley (21) gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead at 6:49 of the second period. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie tied it with his 32nd goal at 9:37. . . . F Luc Smith (9) put the Blazers back into the lead, on a PP, at 13:58. . . . The Winterhawks tied it on F Jake Gricius’s fifth goal, at 15:21. . . . After Weinger scored, D Caleb Jones added insurance with his fifth goal at 13:39 of the third period. . . . The Winterhawks got two assists from F Cody Glass, with McKenzie adding one. . . . F Quinn Benjafield had two assists for Kamloops. . . . G Shane Farkas stopped 25 shots in his third start in eight days. He is 3-0-0 in those starts. . . . Kamloops got 34 saves from G Dylan Ferguson. . . . Kamloops was 1-4 on the PP; Portland was 0-4. . . . The Winterhawks (27-21-3) have won five straight. They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, three points behind the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Blazers (31-18-4) had points in their previous three games (2-0-1). They are 1-1-1 on a five-game trip into the U.S. Division. Kamloops is second in the B.C. Division, four points ahead of the Victoria Royals. . . . This was the third meeting between these teams in the past 13 days. The host Blazers won 4-3 in a shootout on Jan. 20, with the Winterhawks posting a 6-4 victory in Portland four days later. . . . Announced attendance: 5,101.
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At Red Deer, F Giorgio Estephan had two goals, including the OT winner, and an assist to lead the
GIORGIO ESTEPHAN
Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . One night earlier, Estephan had the only goal of a shootout as the Hurricanes beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, 4-3. . . . Last night, he won it with his 26th goal just 46 seconds into OT. . . . D Brennan Menell picked up one of his two assists on the winner. . . . Estephan and Menell had assisted on F Tyler Wong’s 37th goal, at 17:34 of the third period, that forced OT. . . . Estephan had given the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 8:18 of the first period. . . . Red Deer took a 2-1 lead on goals from D Jared Freadrich (4), on a PP, at 7:52 of the second period, and F Brandon Hagel (21), at 11:47 of the third. . . . F Michael Spacek assessed on both Red Deer goals. . . . G Stuart Skinner earned the victory with 34 saves, four more than Red Deer’s Lasse Petersen. . . . Red Deer was 0-3 on the PP; Lethbridge’s PP unit didn’t get an opportunity. . . . The Hurricanes (30-15-7) have points in 12 straight games (10-0-2). They are second in the Central Division, six points behind the Medicine Hat Tigers and 15 in front of the Rebels. . . . The Rebels (22-21-8) have lost two in a row (0-1-1). . . . Announced attendance: 4,131.
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At Regina, D Connor Hobbs scored with 23.7 seconds left to give the Pats a 4-3 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Hobbs leads WHL defencemen in goals, with 21, one more than David Quenneville of
CONNOR HOBBS
the Medicine Hat Tigers, who is on the shelf with a broken leg. . . . The Pats never trailed in this game, as Moose Jaw three times tied the score. . . . F Austin Wagner gave Regina a 1-0 lead at 10:49 of the first period, with Warriors F Tanner Jeannot tying it at 10:28 of the second period. . . . Regina F Robbie Holmes (2) put the Pats back out front at 14:44. . . . F Brett Howden (26) tied it at 17:51. . . . The Pats regained the lead at 8:38 of the third period when F Nick Henry got his 22nd goal. . . . Jeannot, with his 14th goal, tied it at 14:02. . . . F Sam Steel, the WHL scoring leader, had assists on the Pats’ last two goals to reach 90 points in 42 games. . . . Wagner and Holmes had an assist each. . . . Howden also had an assist. . . . The Pats got 30 saves from G Tyler Brown. At the other end, Zach Sawchenko stopped 27 shots. . . . Moose Jaw was 0-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-4. . . . The Pats scratched F Dawson Leedahl (personal) and F Jeff de Wit (ill). . . . The Pats (35-6-7) have won six in a row and are back on top of the overall standings, two points ahead of the Prince George Cougars. . . . Moose Jaw (30-14-7) has lost two straight and now trails the Pats by 10 points in the East Division. . . . Shortly after the game, the Pats announced that their Saturday game against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings is sold out. . . . Announced attendance: 5,402.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen’s two goals helped the Broncos to a 4-1 victory over the Edmonton
TYLER STEENBERGEN
Oil Kings. . . . Steenbergen, who has 37 goals, broke a 1-1 tie, on a PP, at 15:10 of the second period. He added insurance at 19:38 of the second. . . . D Max Lajoie drew an assist on each of those goals. . . . F Brett Kemp gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal, on a PP, at 6:51 of the first period. . . . Broncos F Kaden Elder (11) tied it at 1:16 of the second. . . . F Aleksi Heponiemi, who also had an assist, got the Broncos’ last goal, into an empty net, at 19:48 of the third. He’s got 20 goals. . . . Steenbergen is one goal behind F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who holds the league lead despite not having scored in his past eight games. F Matt Phillips of the Victoria Royals and F Tyler Wong of the Lethbridge Hurricanes also have 37 goals. . . . Swift Current G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots, while Edmonton’s Patrick Dea blocked 38. . . . Edmonton was 1-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 1-6. . . . The Broncos (26-17-8) snapped a four-game losing skid. They are third in the East Division, seven points behind the Moose Jaw Warriors and six ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Oil Kings (18-29-4) now have lost 12 in a row and are six points out of a playoff spot. . . . Announced attendance: 1,717.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Kyle Olson had a goal and three assists to lead the Tri-City Americans to a 5-1 victory over the Everett Silvertips. . . . A 17-year-old from Calgary, Olson has 45 points, 14 of them goals,
KYLE OLSON
in 54 games. Last season, as a freshman, he had three goals and seven assists in 19 games. . . . The Americans grabbed a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game when D Juuso Valimaki scored his 14th goal. . . . Tri-City scored the next four goals as they grabbed a 4-0 lead late in the second period. . . . F Morgan Geekie got No. 28 at 18:40 of the first period, with Olson, at 15:06 of the second period, and F Vladislav Lukin (22), who also had an assist, counting at 17:42. . . . D Jake Christiansen got his fourth goal for Everett, at 17:57. . . . D Dylan Coghlan (9) scored Tri-City’s final goal, on a PP, at 7:24 of the third period. . . . Geekie also had two assists. He went into the season with 13 goals and 15 assist in 76 games. This season, he has 67 points, including 39 assists, in 54 games. . . . The Americans got 27 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . Everett started Carter Hart, but he left after giveng up two goals on seven shots in the first period. Mario Petit finished up with 18 saves on 21 shots. . . . Tri-City was 1-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-3 and now hasn’t scored in its last 23 opportunities. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu, the team captain, played in his 300th regular-season game. He also has played with Everett and the Red Deer Rebels. . . . The Silvertips are in a stretch that has them playing seven games in nine nights. Seriously. It began with three games in fewer than 48 hours last weekend. This was the second of four games in five nights. . . . Tri-City (31-20-3) is back in second spot in the U.S. Division, a point ahead of Seattle, but the Thunderbirds hold five games in hand. . . . The Silvertips (30-10-10) have lost six in a row (0-4-2). They are four points ahead of Tri-City and Everett has four games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 2,732.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Edmonton at Brandon, 7:30 p.m.
Portland at Everett, 7:35 p.m.
Moose Jaw vs. Kootenay, at Cranbrook, B.C., 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Prince Albert, 7 p.m.
Kelowna at Prince George, 7 p.m.
Regina at Saskatoon, 7:05 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Kamloops vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:35 p.m.
Calgary vs. Vancouver, at Langley, B.C., 7:30 p.m.

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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 11:07 PM
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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Presentation day for Pats ... Nanaimo picks arena site ... Glass breaks Blazers


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 This is a big day for the Regina Pats and a pair of OHL teams — the Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals. One of those teams will be selected as the host team for the 2018 Memorial Cup tournament, which will be the 100th anniversary of the prestigious tropy. Team representatives will be in Toronto today to make their presentations in front of the CHL’s site selection committee. . . . Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post has a piece right here on the Pats and management’s mindset going into the presentations.
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The City of Nanaimo has decided that if it is to have a new arena, it will be built on land on the waterfront. City council made the decision at a Monday meeting, choosing that location over the Howard Johnson Harbourside Hotel property.
According to Mayor Bill McKay, Tamara Cunningham of the Nanaimo News Bulletin reports, the costs of acquisition and construction were estimated to be much higher for the Howard Johnson site, including land purchase, building demolition, site contamination and access. He also said 1 Port Dr. supports better technical analysis, including knowledge of geotechnical issues and transportation requirements.
OK, so what’s next? Cunningham reports right here: “Council will hold a special council meeting Wednesday . . . for the first three readings of a borrowing bylaw and vote on a referendum question. The votes had been planned for Feb. 6.” . . . The referendum is expected to be held on March 11.
Earlier, Cunningham reported that the city already is in negotiations with the WHL aimed at acquiring a franchise for the new arena, should construction get the green light.
Of course, the city has yet to announce what the question will be for the referendum, although I would imagine it will seek the OK to borrow a good chunk of the money needed for the project, which is estimated at more than $80 million.
This is starting to remind me of a referendum that was held in Kamloops on Nov. 7, 2015.
Shortly after Glacier Media announced the closure of the Kamloops Daily News, the City of Kamloops revealed that it had purchased the newspaper building, which once was a department store, for $4.8 million. The plan was to spend $90 million on a performing arts centre and parkade on the sight.
The referendum question was: “Are you in favour of the City of Kamloops borrowing up to $49 million to design and construct the parkade and performing arts centre complex?”
The loan, which you will note wasn’t for the complete cost of the project, would have cost the average tax-paying household something like $40 per year for 20 years.
In the end, 53.7 per cent of those who voted said “NO!” However, only 32 per cent of eligible voters chose to exercise their right.
I got the feeling at the time that people weren‘t voting against the construction of a performing arts centre. Rather, it was a vote by taxpayers against something that would have resulted in an increase in their taxes. Through that process I really got the sense that those who voted “No” were wanting to deliver a message to those in charge of the public purse, something about being tired of costs always rising.
There was plenty of public debate preceding the referendum in Kamloops, as I’m sure the citizens of Nanaimo will experience over the next few weeks.
BTW, The Daily News building sits empty in downtown Kamloops, more than three years after the newspaper closed.
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The Tri-City Americans have shut down D Tyler Jette, 18, for the remainder of this season, thanks to an “upper-body” injury.
A native of Farmington, Minn., the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder was placed on the Americans’ protected list in November 2015. They signed him on Sept. 26 and he practised with the Americans that week, but never got into a game.
He showed up on the WHL roster report on Sept. 26 as having been added from Farmington High School. On Oct. 3, he was shown as being out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. One week later that status was changed to week-to-week.
On the latest roster report that was released Tuesday, Jette is shown as having a “season-ending” injury.
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Like Ken Campbell of The Hockey News, I haven’t watched Don Cherry in years. So I didn’t see Cherry’s latest rant, nor will I hunt it up on the Internet. As Campbell writes, “Don Cherry stopped being relevant a long time ago, even before he ran the Mississauga IceDogs into the ground.” . . . Campbell wasn’t watching on Saturday when Cherry embarrassed himself, again, this time by being critical of Paul Romanuk, who just happens to be a fellow employee. However, Campbell heard about it and then found it on social media, watched it and felt compelled to write this piece right here.
This also allows me to relate my favourite Cherry anecdote, something I uncovered while researching a year-by-year epic on the Memorial Cup that I put together about 20 years ago.
What follows comes from what I wrote about the 1953 Memorial Cup that featured Cherry’s Barrie Colts and the St. Boniface Canadiens:
The Cherry legend includes — or doesn't include, depending upon to whom you are speaking — an incident from Game 5 that included Gary Blaine, a St. Boniface defenceman of immense potential whose career would fall victim to the demon rum, and Cherry.
Legend has it that Blaine actually chased Cherry around the Winnipeg Amphitheatre in an attempt to get him to fight.
As Winnipeg Free Press columnist Hal Sigurdson recounted in June of 1996, "Blaine's teammate, Ab McDonald . . . says it was Cherry. So does former provincial cabinet minister Larry Desjardins, who was general manager of Blaine's St. Boniface Canadiens at the time.”
As for Blaine . . .
"To be honest,” he told Sigurdson, "I'm not sure.
"Orval Tessier had just slashed our goaltender, Hal Dalkie, and I drilled him. When he went down I tried to pick him up, but he turtled. I'd never seen a guy do that before. Anyway, I heard another of their players chirping so I went after him. He took off and I chased him. When I asked our guys who it was they told me his name was Don Cherry.”
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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet filed his latest 30 Thoughts on Tuesday and, as always, it’s highly readable. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s right here.
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If you enjoy stopping off here and would care to make a donation to the cause, please feel free to do so by clicking on the DONATE button and going from there.
If you have some information you would like to share or just a general comment, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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JUST NOTES:

F Noah Gregor of the Moose Jaw Warriors is scheduled to have knee surgery this week and isn’t expect to be out for as long as four weeks. Gregor, 18, last played on Jan. 7 in Regina and now has missed seven games. He has 52 points, including 20 goals, in 42 games. . . . 
The Prince George Cougars have signed F Edge Lambert, 15, to a WHL contract. Lambert, from Grande Prairie, Alta., was a seventh-round selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. . . . Lambert, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, has four goals and two assists in 29 games with the midget AAA Notre Dame Hounds of Wilcox, Sask. Last season, he had 20 goals and 24 assists with the bantam AAA Hounds.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Portland, the Winterhawks, with F Cody Glass enjoying a five-point night, opened up a 5-0 lead and hung on for a 6-4 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . Portland drove Kamloops G Connor Ingram to
CODY GLASS
the bench with four goals in the game’s first 9:41, with Glass scoring one of them and assisting on the other three. . . . F Joachim Blichfeld got it started as he ran his goal-scoring streak to six games with his 15th goal at 1:51. . . . F Skyler McKenzie got No. 30 at 4:17. . . . F Evan Weinger (13) made it 3-0 at 4:45. . . . Glass upped it to 4-0 at 9:41. . . . D Keoni Texeira assisted on the last two goals. . . . F Ryan Hughes made it 5-0 with his 20th goal just 23 seconds into the second period. . . . Kamloops got back into it by scoring the next four goals. . . . F Luc Smith got his eighth at 10:00 of the second period, with F Garrett Pilon (12) scoring at 18:55. . . . F Rudolfs Balcers, who has 27 goals, added two third-period goals, at 10:00 and 13:16, to get the Blazers to within a goal. . . . Glass put it away with his 23rd goal, on a PP, at 17:41. . . . Glass, who has had two five-point games this season, has 23 goals and 41 assists in 46 games. He went into this season with 10 goals and 17 assists in 68 games. . . . Glass had two assists on Friday when the Winterhawks fell, 4-3 in a shootout, in Kamloops. . . . Blichfeld added an assist to his goal. . . . Pilon also had an assist. . . . Portland G Shane Farkas, who sat out Friday’s game in Kamloops due to illness, made 39 saves. Farkas, who turned 17 on Jan. 12, is from Penticton, B.C. He earned his first WHL victory in his third appearance. . . . Ingram, who was 6-0-1 against Portland going into the game, was beaten four times on 13 shots. Dylan Ferguson relieved him and stopped 27 of 29 shots in 48:05. . . . Portland had a 22-18 edge in the first period. Yes, the teams combined for 40 shots in the opening period. . . . The Winterhawks (23-21-3) had lost their previous five games (0-3-2). They hold down the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, two points ahead of the Spokane Chiefs. . . . The Blazers (29-17-3) watched a four-game winning streak end. They are second in the B.C. Division, three points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets. . . . This was the first of seven straight road games for Kamloops. . . . This game had been scheduled to be played on Jan. 8 but was postponed by inclement weather conditions. . . . Announced attendance: 5,674.
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At Spokane, D Austin Strand’s second goal, at 3:48 of OT, gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 3-2 victory over the Chiefs. . . . The winner was Strand’s fourth goal this season. He had one goal in 38 games with
AUSTIN STRAND
the Red Deer Rebels before behind dealt to Seattle, where he has scored three times in nine outings. . . . Seattle took a 2-0 lead with second-period goals from F Alexander True (15), on a PP, at 7:34, and Strand, at 14:24. . . . F Mathew Barzal assisted on both goals. . . . The Chiefs pulled even on third-period goals from F Eli Zummack, his fifth, at 5:31, and F Alex Mowbray, his first, at 9:11. . . . D Nolan Reid assisted on both Spokane goals. . . . Mowbray, who came over from the Medicine Hat Tigers, didn’t play this season until Dec. 27. The goal came in his 13th game. . . . The Thunderbirds had a glorious chance to win it in the third period when they were a presented with a 5-on-3 PP for 1:57. . . . Seattle went 1-4 on the PP; Spokane was 0-4. . . . Strand’s winner came after Seattle G Rylan Toth made a couple of terrific saves, including a poke-check that foiled a Spokane 2-on-0 break. . . . Toth finished with 35 saves as he ran his record to 21-15-1. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill turned aside 31 shots. . . . The Thunderbirds lost D Jarret Tyszka with an undisclosed injury in the first period. He is scheduled to play in the Top Prospects Game in Quebec City on Jan. 30. . . . Seattle F Wyatt Bear, 17, was in the lineup for the first time this season. He had been out with an undisclosed injury since the season started. A fifth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft, Bear played three games with Seattle in 2014-15 and nine, with one assist, last season. He only played four other games last season, those with the midget AAA Interlake Lightning in Manitoba. . . . Seattle (26-15-4) has won two in a row. The Thunderbirds are third in the U.S. Division, five points behind the Tri-City Americans with five games in hand, and five ahead of the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Spokane (20-20-7) is 2-0-1 in its last three. The Chiefs are nine points behind Seattle. . . . Announced attendance: 3,237.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., the Medicine Hat Tigers surrendered the game’s first goal, but responded with the
MAX GERLACH
next eight en route to an 8-1 victory over the Kootenay Ice. . . . F Max Patterson scored his sixth goal, at 3:27 of the first period, to give the home team a 1-0 lead. . . . D Jordan Henderson’s second goal of the season, his first season joining the Tigers from the Saskatoon Blades, tied the score at 8:52. . . . Medicine Hat took control with two goals from F Max Gerlach, who leads it with 27 goals. He broke the tied at 2:29 of the second period and added insurance at 13:58. . . . D Clayton Kirichenko had a goal, his sixth, and two assists. F James Hamblin had two assists, while Gerlach added one to his two goals. F Mark Rassell added a goal, his 21st, and an assist. . . . The Tigers also got goals from F Zach Fischer (26), F John Dahlstrom (22) and F Mason Shaw (16). . . . G Michael Bullion earned the victory with 19 saves. . . . Kootenay starter Payton Lee was beaten eight times on 33 shots in 48:56. Jakob Walter came on to stop three shots in 11:04. . . . Medicine Hat was 0-3 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-5. . . . Medicine Hat (32-15-1) leads the Central Division by six points over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . The Ice (11-30-8) has lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 1,568.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.
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THURSDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

No Games Scheduled.


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Posted by Gregg Drinnan at 10:18 PM
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Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Steel, Brooks spark Pats . . . Zborosky, Ice calm Hurricanes . . . Steenbergen, Broncos drop Warriors

TUESDAY’S GAMES:

At Kelowna, F Conner Bruggen-Cate’s second goal of the season, an empty-netter, was the winner as
CONNER BRUGGEN-CATE
the Rockets beat the Kamloops Blazers, 3-2. . . . F Collin Shirley’s 15th goal had given the Blazers the lead at 2:12 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Kole Lind tied with when he scored No. 20, on a PP, at 17:29. . . . The Rockets took their first lead when F Nolan Foote got No. 8, on a PP, at 5:00 of the second period. . . . Bruggen-Cate scored his empty-netter, at 19:17 of the third period. . . . Kamloops F Erik Miller then got his third goal of the season, at 19:35. . . . F Nick Merkley had two assists for the Rockets. . . . G Michael Herringer stopped 30 shots for the Rockets, while Dylan Ferguson also stopped 30 for Kamloops. . . . Kelowna was 2-6 on the PP; Kamloops was 0-3. . . . The Rockets (23-12-2) have points in five straight (4-0-1). . . . Kamloops (21-14-2) is third in the B.C. Division, four points behind Kelowna. . . . D Kaedan Korczak, 15, made his WHL debut with the Rockets. From Yorkton, Sask., the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder has six goals and 12 assists in 26 games with the midget AAA Yorkton Maulers. He was the 11th overall selection in the 2016 WHL bantam draft. . . . Kamloops F Luc Smith, who was acquired from the Regina Pats on Tuesday, wasn’t in the Blazers’ lineup. He flew into Kelowna but didn’t get there in time to play. . . . Announced attendance: 6,238.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Zak Zborosky struck for three goals to lead the Kootenay Ice to a 6-4 victory over
ZAC ZBOROSKY
the Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . It was Zborosky’s second career hat trick. He also had one last season when he scored 32 times in 58 games. . . . The Ice got out to a 2-0 lead on goals from F Jake Elmer (3), at 7:27 of the first period, and Zborosky, at 8:55. . . . F Brett Davis (3) pulled Lethbridge to within one at 15:10. . . . The Ice restored its two-goal lead as F Tanner Sidaway (2) scored 28 seconds into the second period. . . . Lethbridge’ F Zane Franklin (4) got that one back at 2:07. . . . The Ice then put it away with three straight goals, Zborosky scored at 5:19 and 12:48 of the second period, and F Austin Wellsby (3) counting at 13:50. . . . Zborosky now has 26 goals, second in the WHL to F Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors, who has 29. . . . The Hurricanes got the game’s last two goals, both from F Tyler Wong, who haas 23. . . . The Ice got two assists from F Matt Alfaro, while Elmer added one to his goal. . . . D Igor Merezhko and D Brandon Menell each had two helpers for the visitors. . . . G Payton Lee stopped 30 shots for the Ice. . . . The Hurricanes started G Stuart Skinner, who gave up four goals on 13 shots in 25:19. Ryan Gilchrist finished up by stopping 12 of 14 shots over 25:19. . . . Kootenay was 1-3 on the PP; Lethbridge was 0-5. . . . The Ice (7-22-8) had lost its previous six games (0-5-1). . . . The Hurricanes (18-13-5) have lost three in a row (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,839.
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At Medicine Hat, F Max Gerlach scored the only goal of a three-round shootout as the Tigers got past the
MAX GERLACH
Calgary Hitmen, 5-4. . . . The Tigers had to come from behind to get to OT. Trailing 4-2 late in the third period, D Clayton Kirichenko (4) scored, on a PP, at 15:28 and F John Dahlstrom, who assisted on Kirichenko’s goal, tied it, at 17:58. . . . Dahlstrom has 17 goals. . . . F Beck Malenstyn gave Calgary a 1-0 lead, on a PP, at 5:33 of the first period. . . . The Tigers scored the next two goals, with F Ryan Chyzowski (5) counting at 9:59 and F James Hamblin (8) scoring at 1:42 of the second period. . . . The Hitmen then appeared to take control with three straight goals. . . . F Mark Kastelic (5) scored at 13:47, Malenstyn (12) got his second of the night at 15:51 and F Jakob Stukel scored his 11th at 2:15 of the third period. . . . The Hitmen got two assists from each of F Matteo Gennaro and D Micheal Zipp, with Stukel and Malenstyn adding one apiece. . . . Medicine Hat G Nick Schneider stopped 33 shots. He leads the WHL with 24 victories. He has won his last five decisons. . . . The Hitmen got 42 stops from G Cody Porter. . . . Calgary was 1-2 on the PP; Medicine Hat was 1-5. . . . The Tigers lost F Chad Butcher, their leading scorer, at 5:55 of the second period after he was given a headshot major and game misconduct for a hit on Calgary F Murphy Stratton. . . . The Tigers (26-10-1) have won five in a row and are one point behind the Everett Silvertips and Prince George Cougars, who are tied atop the overall standings. . . . Calgary now is 13-16-3. . . . Announced attendance: 3,808.
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At Prince Albert, the Raiders scored the game’s first three goals and went on to beat the Saskatoon
CODY PAIVARINTA
Blades, 5-3. . . . D Cody Paivarinta got the Raiders on the scoreboard with his first career goal, in his 50th game, at 4:35 of the first period. That was the Raiders’ first goal against the Blades this season, in two-plus games. . . . F Luke Coleman made it 2-0 with No. 6, at 12:24, and F Cole Fonstad (6) upped it to 3-0 at 15:45, on a PP. . . . Saskatoon F Jake Christensen (8) scored shorthanded, at 18:04. . . . F Drew Warkentine’s second goal, at 16:57, restored the Raiders’ two-goal lead. . . . The Blades cut into the deficit at 19:05 when F Braylon Shmyr scored on a PP. . . . The Raiders got insurance from F Cavin Leth (9), at 5:32, with Shmyr (16) finishing the scoring at 8:05. . . . F Tim Vanstone had two assists for the winners, with Warkentine and Coleman each adding one. . . . Christensen also had an assist for Saskatoon. . . . The Raiders got 38 stops from G Ian Scott, while Logan Flodell blocked 27 at the other end. . . . Saskatoon was 2-6 on the PP; Prince Albert was 1-6. . . . The Raiders had D Rhett Rhinehart in their lineup as he made his WHL debut. Rhinehart, who turned 15 on Nov. 27, was the 13th overall selection in the 2016 bantam draft. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder is eligible for the NHL’s 2020 draft. Rhinehart, who is from Lloydminster, Alta., has four goals and 14 assists in 13 games with the Yale Hockey Academy prep team in Abbotsford, B.C. . . . F Austin Glover (ill) was among the Raiders’ scratches, as was D Vojtek Budik, who is with the Czech Republic’s national junior team although he isn’t on its roster. . . . D Libor Hajek, who was dropped by the Czech Republic’s national junior team before the World Junior Championship began, wasn’t in Saskatoon’s lineup. . . . Saskatoon had F Matt Mosher, 16, in its lineup. From White Rock, B.C., he was a third-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. He has six goals and five assists in 16 games with the prep team at the Delta, B.C., Hockey Academy. . . . The Blades had been 2-0-0 against the Raiders, having posted shutouts in both games. . . . Prince Albert (8-26-2) had lost its previous three games. . . . Saskatoon (13-20-4) has lost four in a row (0-2-2). . . . Announced attendance: 2,313.
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At Red Deer, the Rebels got shorthanded goals 16 seconds apart as they beat the Edmonton Oil Kings,
RILEY LAMB
3-0. . . . G Riley Lamb stopped 28 shots, 13 of them in the first period, in recording the third shutout of his freshman season. . . . Red Deer F Evan Polei scored his 16th goal, while shorthanded, at 11:45 of the second period. . . . F Matt Campese notched his first with the Rebels, also while shorthanded, at 11:57. . . . F Brandon Hagel, who also had an assist, scored No. 17 at 14:51 of the third period to put this one away. . . . The Oil Kings got 39 saves from G Patrick Dea, 19 of them in the first period. . . . Each team was 0-6 on the PP. . . . Red Deer (17-14-6) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . The victory allowed the Rebels, who are third in the Central Division, to move four points ahead of Edmonton. . . . The Oil Kings (16-16-4) had points in their previous four games (2-0-2). . . . Announced attendance: 5,392.
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At Regina, F Adam Brooks and F Sam Steel each had five points as the Pats got past the Brandon
SAM STEEL
Wheat Kings, 7-4. . . . Brooks has 10 points over his last two games, including back-to-back hat tricks. . . . Brandon F Tyler Coulter (12) scored the game’s first goal, at 14:29 of the first period. . . . Regina replied with three straight as F Austin Wagner got No. 15 at 19:33, Brooks scored at 8:30 of the second and F Dawson Leedahl (15) counted at 10:25. . . . The last two of those came via the PP. . . . The Wheat Kings got to within one, at 3-2, when F Reid Duke got his 19th, shorthanded, at 11:24. . . . However, D Connor Hobbs (15), shorthanded, at 15:58 and Brooks, at 3:31 of the third period, but the home side back in control. . . . Still, the visitors got back to within a goal when Coulter scored, at 4:14, and F Ty Lewis added his 17th at 11:00. . . . Steel, who has 24 goals, provided some insurance, at 11:46, and Brooks got No. 20 into an empty net, at 19:04. . . . When the dust had cleared, Steel was leading the scoring race with 59 points, one more than Brooks. . . . Wagner and Leedahl each added an assist, as did Coulter and Duke. . . . G Tyler Brown blocked 31 shots for the Pats. With G Jordan Hollett still injured, Max Paddock of the midget AAA Brandon Wheat Kings backed up Brown. Paddock is a nephew to John Paddock, the Pats’ GM and head coach. . . . Brandon G Jordan Papirny made 29 saves. Wagner was unable to beat him on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Brandon was 0-10. . . . The Wheat Kings again were without F Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played since Oct. 11. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs left at 12:50 of the third period with a kneeing major and game misconduct. . . . D Dawson Davidson, acquired earlier in the day from the Kamloops Blazers, was in Regina’s lineup, but was pointless. . . . F Ben McCartney, a second-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, has joined the Wheat Kings for a few days, although he didn’t play in this one. A native of Portage la Prairie, Man., he has 13 goals and 12 assists with a prep team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton, B.C. . . . Regina (23-3-6) has won two in a row and is two points out of first place in the overall standings. The Pats have five games in hand on the Prince George Cougars and two on the Everett Silvertips, who are tied atop the standings. . . . Brandon (15-15-4) had won its previous two games. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
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At Kent, Wash., F Sami Moilanen broke a 2-2 tie at 12:12 of the third period as the Seattle Thunderbirds
SAMI MOILANEN
beat the Spokane Chiefs, 3-2. . . . D Ethan Bear (11) gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 9:39 of the first period, only to have F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (18) pull Spokane even at 15:50. . . . Seattle went back out front on F Scott Eansor’s 17th goal, at 6:02 of the second period. . . . D Tyson Helgesen (4) tied it for the Chiefs at 10:28 of the third period. . . . Moilanen won it with his 12th goal. . . . Bear and Eansor each had an assist. . . . F Kailer Yamamoto drew two assists for the Chiefs. . . . Seattle got 41 stops from G Rylan Toth, while Dawson Weatherill stopped 21 for Spokane. . . . The Thunderbirds were 0-1 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-2. . . . F Alex Mowbray, 20, who was added to the Chiefs’ roster earlier in the day, was in Spokane’s lineup. . . . The Chiefs also welcomed back F Curtis Miske, who hadn’t played since Nov. 27. . . . However, F Wyatt Sloboshan, who didn’t return from the Christmas break, and F Kolby Morrisseau were among Spokane’s scratches. . . . Morrisseau is out with an injury after taking a hit from Seattle D Turner Ottenbreit on Dec. 13 in Kent. Morrisseau, 16, needed attention from both trainers before leaving the ice. He spent some time in hospital after leaving a Sept. being injured during a Sept. 3 exhibition game against the Portland Winterhawks in Everett. That day, Morrisseau left the ice on a stretcher in the third period. . . . The Chiefs had been 2-0-0 in Kent this season, while the Thunderbirds are 1-0-0 in Spokane. . . . Seattle (18-13-3) has won two straight. . . . Spokane (14-14-6) has lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 6,200.
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At Swift Current, F Tyler Steenbergen scored three goals and added an assist to help the Broncos to a 6-
TYLER STEENBERGEN
1 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . The Broncos had lost seven straight games to the Warriors. . . . Swift Current took control with three first-period goals. . . . G Glenn Gawdin (9) scored at 3:05, with F Aleksi Hopinieme (11) making it 2-0 at 5:28. Steenbergen followed with three straight goals — at 7:42 of the first period, 13:10 of the second and 6:30 of the third. He’s got 25 goals in 36 games after finishing his freshman season with 20 in 67. This was his first career hat trick. . . . Moose Jaw F Brett Howden scored his 16th goal at 17:46, with Broncos F Lane Pederson (16) getting that one back at 18:16. . . . Heponiemi also had two assists, with D Max Lajoie getting two and Pederson adding one. . . . The Broncos got 28 saves from G Taz Burman. . . . Moose Jaw started Zach Sawchenko allowed five goals on 40 shots in 55:30. Reliever Brody Willms stopped eight of nine shots in 5:30. . . . The Broncos were 1-4 on the PP; the Warriors’ unit never saw action. . . . The Broncos (19-10-7) have points in five straight (4-0-1). The victory moved them into a second-place tie with the Warriors in the East Division. . . . The Warriors (20-9-5) have lost two in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 2,342.
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At Kennewick, Wash., F Parker AuCoin and F Michael Rasmussen each scored twice to help the Tri-City
PARKER AuCOIN
Americans to a 6-2 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. . . . Rasmussen now has 25 goals. . . . AuCoin, who didn’t have even one point over his last 14 games prior to the Christmas break, now has 11 goals. . . . F Skyler McKenzie scored both Portland goals, his first giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 2:57 of the opening period. His second got Portland to within a goal, at 3-2, at 5:40 of the third period. He’s got 24 goals. . . . Rasmussen tied the game, 1-1, at 3:32 of the second period, on a PP. . . . AuCoin scored back-to-back goals, at 19:07 of the second and 2:14 of the third, for a 3-1 lead. . . . Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu (9) added insurance at 13:41 of the third period, with Rasmussen getting his second goal, on a PP, at 16:13 and F Vladislav Lukin (15) adding another PP goal, at 18:50. . . . D Dylan Coghlan drew three assists for the winners, while D Parker Wotherspoon had two and Rasmussen, Sandhu and Lukin each added one. . . . G Evan Sarthou stopped 23 shots for Tri-City, while Cole Kehler blocked 26 for Portland. . . . The Americans were 3-9 on the PP; the Winterhawks were 1-3. . . . The Americans have taken five of seven games from Portland this season. Tri-City last won five games from Portland in 2011-12. . . . The Americans (20-15-3) had lost their previous four games. . . . The Winterhawks (19-17-1) have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 4,080.
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At Langley, B.C., F Ty Ronning scored 31 second into OT to give the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over
TY RONNING
the Everett Silvertips. . . . Ronning won it with his 12th goal of the season. It was his second straight OT winner. . . . F James Malm had forced OT, completing his first career three-point game — on his father’s birthday — with his ninth goal at 17:08 of the second period. . . . F Eetu Tuulolo (9) gave Everett a 1-0 lead at 4:09 of the first period. . . . The Giants responded with the next three goals. . . . F Alec Baer (3) scored on a PP, at 10:16 of the first period and F Brendan Semchuk (5) counted just 14 seconds later. . . . Vancouver F Owen Hardy (2) made it 3-1 at 12:27. . . . Everett scored three times in the second period to take a 4-3 lead. . . . F Dominic Zwerger, who has 15 goals, got the first two, at 0:41 and 11:45. . . . F Connor Dewar (5) broke the tie at 13:44. . . . F Tyler Benson had two assists for Vancouver, with Baer and Semchuk adding one each. . . . G Ryan Kubic turned aside 30 shots to earn the victory. . . . Everett’s Mario Petit stopped 21 shots. . . . Vancouver was 1-4 on the PP; Everett was 1-6. . . . Everett had been 3-0-0 against Vancouver these season and is 8-0-3 against teams from the B.C. Division. . . . The Giants (14-18-3) have won three in a row. . . . The Silvertips (24-4-6) have points in four straight (3-0-1) and are tied with the Prince George Cougars atop the overall standings. Everett holds three games in hand. . . . Vancouver D Ryan Jones, who suffered a shoulder injury during the exhibition season, played his first game of this season. With only 17 skaters dressed, Jones played on a forward line. . . . Everett head coach Kevin Constantine celebrated his 58th birthday by taking a game misconduct at 9:46 of the second period. According to Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province, Constantine was “angry about Zwerger dive call” at 6:49. . . . Announced attendance: 4,317.


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At Victoria, F Tyler Soy returned to the Royals’ lineup with a bang, his three goals and an assist leading
TYLER SOY
them to a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars. . . . Soy, 19, hadn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury on Nov. 19. . . . He scored Victoria’s last three goals, giving him 15 goals in 22 games, and his second hat trick this season. He has four in his career, including two in 2014-15. . . . F Matt Phillips (25) and Soy gave the Royals a 2-0 lead, with goals at 1:18 of the first period and 7:31 of the second. . . . F Brad Morrison’s 16th goal got the Cougars close at 8:31. . . . Soy completed his three-goal game by scoring at 15:05 of the second and 28 seconds into the third. . . . D Chaz Reddekopp (6) got Victoria’s last goal, at 15:13. . . . D Ryan Gagnon had two assists for the Royals, while Reddekopp had one. . . . G Griffen Outhouse stopped 42 shots for the Royals. . . . G Ty Edmonds, who stopped 19 shots, made his 189th career regular-season appearance with Prince George, setting a franchise record in the process. . . . Victoria was 0-1 on the PP; Prince George was 0-4. . . . The Royals (18-15-4) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Cougars (26-9-2) had a five-game winning streak snapped. . . . Announced attendance: 5,285.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Regina at Brandon, 7 p.m.
Medicine Hat at Calgary, 7 p.m.
Red Deer at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at Everett, 7:05 p.m.
Kelowna at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Kootenay at Lethbridge, 7 p.m.
Swift Current at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
Prince Albert at Saskatoon, 7 p.m.
Seattle at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.
Prince George at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

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Saturday, December 17, 2016

Cougars roll into break . . . Silvertips right there, too . . . Steel leading scoring derby

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TAKING NOTE

You’re back home after a long day of hacks and whacks at the shopping mall. Right here, to help you chill, are Elvis Presley and Martina McBride with . . . Blue Christmas.
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If you haven’t seen it, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, as they always do, have had some fun with a Christmas classic. Their take on the movie Elf is right here.
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By my count, the WHL has 28 players involved in Christmas tournaments.
One of those, D Vladislav Yeryomenko of the Calgary Hitmen, completed his involvement on Saturday as he helped Belarus to the IIHF Under-20 Division 1 Group A championship in Bremerhaven, Germany, thus earning promotion to the 2018 World Junior Championship in Buffalo.
Belarus beat Austria, 4-0, in its final game. Belarus finished with four victories and an OT loss, its 13 points leaving it two clear of Germany.
Yeryomenko finished with a goal and two assists in five games.
With Yeryomenko and Belarus finished, there are 27 other WHL players who are either in a selection camp or will play in the World Junior Championship when it opens in Montreal and Toronto on Boxing Day.
Here’s a look at who’s where, at least for the moment:
Brandon (1): D Kale Clague (Canada).
Calgary (2): D Jake Bean (Canada), D Vladislav Yeryomenko (Belarus).
Edmonton (0).
Everett (2): G Carter Hart (Canada), D Noah Juulsen (Canada).
Kamloops (3): F Rudolfs Balcers (Latvia), F G Connor Ingram (Canada), D Ondrej Vala (Czech Republic).
Kelowna (3): F Dillon Dube (Canada), F Calvin Thurkauf (Switzerland), F Tomas Soustal (Czech Republic).
Kootenay (0),
Lethbridge (0).
Medicine Hat (2): F John Dahlstrom (Sweden), D Kristians Rubins (Latvia).
Moose Jaw (0).
Portland (2): F Joachim Blichfeld (Denmark), D Caleb Jones (U.S.).
Prince Albert (2): D Vojtech Budik (Czech Republic), F Simon Stransky (Czech Republic).
Prince George (0).
Red Deer (3): F Adam Musil (Czech Republic), G Lasse Petersen (Denmark), F Michael Spacek (Czech Republic).
Regina (2): F Filip Ahl (Sweden), D Sergey Zborovskiy (Russia).
Saskatoon (1): D Libor Hajek (Czech Republic).
Seattle (2): F Mathew Barzal (Canada), F Alexander True (Denmark).
Spokane (1): F Pavel Kousal (Czech Republic).
Swift Current (0).
Tri-City (1): D Juuso Valimaki (Finland).
Vancouver (1): F Radovan Bondra (Slovakia).
Victoria (0).
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SATURDAY’S GAMES:


At Calgary, the Kelowna Rockets erased a 2-1 deficit with five straight goals as they beat the Hitmen, 6-2.
JAKE KRYSKI
. . . The Rockets took a 1-0 lead when F Jake Kryski scored at 8:56 of the first period. . . . Calgary went up 2-1 on goals from F Mark Kastelic (4), at 12:32, and F Jakob Stukel (9), on a PP, at 11:29 of the second. . . . Kryski tied it on a PP, at 13:16. Kryski, who was acquired from the Kamloops Blazers, has 13 goals in 30 games; he finished last season with 12 goals in 67 games. . . . Kelowna F Kyle Topping put his guys out front, on another PP, at 15:02, and D Riley Stadel (4) provided some insurance, on yet another PP, at 19:12. . . . Topping got his second goal of the game and eighth of the season in the third period, while F Nick Merkley scored No. 9. . . . Rockets F Kole Lind ran his point streak to 13 games with three assists, while D Lucas Johansen and F Erik Gardiner each had two. . . . G Brodan Salmond stopped 17 shots for Kelowna. . . . Calgary got 19 saves from Cody Porter. . . . Kelowna (21-12-2) has points in three straight (2-0-1). . . . The Hitmen slipped to 12-16-2. . . . The Rockets are 4-1-1 on a seven-game road trip that ends in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon. . . . D Micheal Zipp, Calgary’s captain, was scratched with an undisclosed injury. . . . Announced attendance: 6,144.
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At Everett, F Devon Skoleski broke a 2-2 tie at 17:10 of the third period and the Silvertips went on to beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-2. . . . He’s got four goals. . . . F Connor Dewar added insurance with his
DEVON SKOLESKI
fourth goal, at 18:12. . . . F Cody Glass scored both Portland goals, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at 2:53 of the second period and pulling them into a 2-2 tie at 16:39 of the third period. Glass has 19 goals. . . . Everett F Eetu Tuulola’s eighth goal, at 19:28 of the second period, tied the score 1-1 and was the Teddy Bear Goal. . . . F Matt Fonteyne’s eighth goal gave Everett a 2-1 led at 12:22 of the third period. . . . D Kevin Davis had two assists for Everett, while Tuulola added one. . . . Davis has three goals and 21 assists in 32 games. His career highs are three goals, in each of the previous two seasons, and 22 assists in 2014-15. . . . Everett G Mario Petit stopped 25 shots, while Portland’s Cole Kehler turned aside 41. . . . Portland was 0-1 on the PP; Everett was 0-5. . . . Portland had a 10-1 edge in shots in the game’s first 10 minutes; Everett had a 13-1 edge in the second 10 minutes. . . . The Silvertips (24-4-5) have won three in a row. They go into the break in second place in the overall standings, one point behind the Prince George Cougars and with three games in hand. . . . The Winterhawks (19-16-1) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 5,733.
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At Cranbrook, B.C., F Quinn Benjafield and F Jermaine Loewen each had two goals and an assist as the
JERMAINE LOEWEN
Kamloops Blazers overwhelmed the Kootenay Ice, 8-1. . . . The Blazers went 4-1-1 on a six-game Central Division swing in which they played six games in eight nights. . . . The Blazers took control with the only three goals of the first period, as Loewen, who has three goals, scored at 11:35, F Deven Sideroff got his 22nd, on a PP, at 13:02, and D Dawson Davidson got No. 3 at 18:28. . . . F Ryley Appelt made his WHL debut with the Blazers and he started on their big line, alongside Garrett Pilon and Deven Sideroff, with Rudolfs Balcers having left to join the Latvian national junior team. An Edmonton native, Appelt was a fourth-round pick by the Blazers in the 2015 bantam draft. He plays for the Norther Alberta X-Treme prep team in the CSSHL. . . . Appelt made it 4-0 with his first WHL goal, at 3:53 of the second. . . . F Vince Loschiavo scored for the Ice, getting his 12th goal at 4:56. He takes a seven-game goal streak into a Sunday afternoon game against the Hitmen in Calgary. . . . Benjafield, who has nine goals, scored at 6:10 and 14:32 of the second period. . . . Pilon also scored for Kamloops, giving him six goals. . . . D Joe Gatenby and F Nick Chyzowski each had two assists for Kamloops, while Sideroff had one. . . . G Dylan Ferguson blocked 19 shots for Kamloops. He went the distance in all six games on the road trip. . . . Ice starter Jakob Walter surrendered five goals on 18 shots in 26:10. Payton Lee came on in relief to stop 13 of 16 shots in 33:50. . . . Kamloops was 2-4 on the PP; Kootenay was 0-3. . . . The Blades go into the break at 21-13-2. . . . The Ice (6-21-8) has lost five in a row (0-4-1). . . . Announced attendance: 1,731.
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At Medicine Hat, F Max Gerlach scored twice to help the Tigers to a 5-3 victory over the Red Deer
MAX GERLACH
Rebels. . . . The teams were tied 2-2 going into the third period when F Matt Bradley put the Tigers ahead with No. 15, at 12:49. . . . Gerlach, who has 23 goals, added insurance at 15:03, on a PP. . . . Gerlach had opened the scoring at 6:19 of the second period and D Dave Quenneville (19) made it 2-0, on a PP, at 16:20. . . . The Rebels tied it as F Dawson Martin got his fifth goal, at 18:15 of the second, and F Evan Polei scored his 15th just 37 seconds later. . . . The Tigers’ final goal, shorthanded, came from F Mark Rassell, his 17th, at 18:23 of the third. . . . F Akash Bains (6), who also had an assist, scored for Red Deer at 18:48. . . . F James Hamblin and F Mason Shaw each had two assists for the Tigers, while Rassell had one. . . . G Nick Schneider turned back 25 shots for Medicine Hat, while Riley Lamb stopped 38 for the Rebels. . . . The Tigers were 2-6 on the PP; the Rebels were 1-3. . . . Medicine Hat (25-10-1) has won four in a row. . . . Red Deer (16-14-6) has lost three straight (0-2-1). . . . Announced attendance: 3,286.
——
At Prince Albert, D Kade Jensen broke a 3-3 tie at 16:22 of the third period as the Swift Current Broncos
KADE JENSEN
got past the Raiders, 4-3. . . . The Raiders took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from D Loch Morrison (2), at 3:20, and D Max Martin (5), on a PP, at 12:16. . . . It didn’t last, though, as Swift Current tied it on goals from F Kole Gable, at 15:06, and F Aleksi Heponiemi (10), at 18:18. . . . Gable’s fourth goal gave the Broncos a 3-2 lead 4:05 of the second period. . . . The Raiders tied it on F Austin Glover’s 12th goal at 15:15 of the third period. . . . Jensen, who also had an assist, won it with his third goal, with Heponiemi getting the only assist. . . . Broncos G Travis Child allowed two goals on four shots in 12:16. Taz Burman came on to get the victory, stopping 16 of 17 shots in 47:44. . . . The Raiders got 31 saves from Ian Scott. . . . Prince Albert was 1-1 on the PP; Swift Current was 0-3. . . . The Broncos (18-10-7) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They are 5-0-0 against Prince Albert this season. . . . The Raiders (7-26-2) have lost three in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 1,977.
——
At Regina, F Adam Brooks scored three goals and added two assists, and F Sam Steel had a goal and
ADAM BROOKS
three assists, as the Pats bounced the Moose Jaw Warriors, 7-3. . . . One night earlier, in Moose Jaw, the Warriors had beaten the Pats, 5-4. . . . Last night, the Pats took a 2-0 lead, then fell behind 3-2, before scoring the game’s last five goals, all in the third period. . . . F Dawson Leedahl (14) got Regina started 55 seconds into the game, with Brooks making it 2-0 at 10:13. . . . D Matt Sozanski (1) got the Warriors on the scoreboard, on a  PP, at 11:33. Sozanksi, who returned Friday after missing two weeks, has one goal and 20 assists in 26 games with Moose Jaw, after putting up three goals and 18 assists in 62 games with the Spokane Chiefs last season. . . . Moose Jaw tied it at 12:10 when F Jayden Halbgewachs, who had a 10-game goal streak end on Friday, got his WHL-leading 29th goal. . . . F Brett Howden put the visitors in front, 3-2, with his 15th goal, on a PP, at 5:35 of the second period. . . . Regina D Connor Hobbs (14) tied it on a PP at 2:23 of the third period, with Brooks making it 4-3 at 12:46. . . . Brooks, who has 17 goals, completed the hat trick while shorthanded at 15:23. . . . Steel got his 23rd goal, on a PP, at 17:13, and F Rykr Cole scored his fifth goal at 18:54. . . . Steel now leads the WHL scoring race, with 54 points, one more than Brooks and F Chad Butcher and F Mason Shaw, both of the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Halbgewachs is two points off the pace. . . . Regina got two assists from F Austin Wagner, with Hobbs and Leedahl each getting one. . . . Sozanski added two assists to his goal for Moose Jaw, with Halbgewachs and Howden getting one each. . . . Regina G Tyler Brown stopped 28 shots, while Moose Jaw’s Zach Sawchenko was considerably busier, with 47 saves. . . . Regina was 2-4 on the PP; Moose Jaw was 2-5. . . . Regina (22-3-6) had lost its previous two games (0-1-1). The Pats are third in the overall standings, four points behind the Prince George Cougars but with five games in hand. . . . Moose Jaw (20-8-5) had won its last two games, but now is five points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Pats, who hold two games in hand. . . . Announced attendance: 6,484.
——

At Saskatoon, F Connor Gutenberg snapped a 2-2 tie at 18:54 of the third period as the Brandon Wheat
CONNOR GUTENBERG
Kings edged the Blades, 3-2. . . . F Meyer Nell scored his first goal, shorthanded, to give Brandon a 1-0 lead at 3:42 of the first period. . . . Saskatoon tied it at 2:13 of the second period when F Braylon Shmyr (14) scored the Teddy Bear Goal on a PP. . . . The Wheat Kings went back in front, at 8:54, as F Tyler Coulter got his 11th goal. . . . F Jesse Shynkaruk (11) pulled the Blades back into a tie, at 3:40 of the third period. . . . Brandon F Tanner Kaspick earned two assists. He returned in Brandon’s 3-2 shootout victory over the visiting Blades on Friday night after being out since Dec. 3. . . . Shmyr and Shynkaruk added an assist each for Saskatoon. . . . Here is Les Lazaruk, the Blades’ radio voice: “ All three Wheaties' goals came off face-offs in the (Saskatoon) zone . . . with Brandon centres pushing the puck past the (Blades’) faceoff taker, stepping around him and setting up a team-mate in the slot for fairly easy scores.” . . . Brandon got 22 stops from G Jordan Papirny, while Logan Flodell stopped 26 for Saskatoon. . . . F Tyler Lees of the Blades was given a penalty shot at 5:19 of the second period, with the game tied 1-1, but wasn’t able to beat Papirny. Lees, a fifth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft, was playing his third game this season with the Blades, but his first at home. Lees, 16, plays for his hometown midget AAA team, the Regina Pat Canadians. . . . The Blades were 1-7 on the PP; the Wheat Kings were 0-4. . . . The Wheat Kings (15-14-4) have won two in a row. . . . The Blades (13-19-4) had points in their previous four games (2-0-2). . . . Brandon holds down the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot and now is four points ahead of Saskatoon. . . . Announced attendance: 4,319.
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At Kent, Wash., G Rylan Toth stopped 26 shots to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-0 victory over the
RYLAN TOTH
Tri-City Americans. . . . That was Toth’s first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career. He had five last season and one in 2014-15, all with the Red Deer Rebels. . . . D Jarrett Tyszka scored his third goal, at 6:06 of the second period, on a PP, and that was all Toth would need on this night. . . . He preserved the blank job with 15 third-period saves. . . . Seattle got a shorthanded goal from F Sami Moilanen, his 11th, at 5:58 of the third period. . . . D Brandon Schuldaus finished it with his second goal, an empty-netter, at 16:58 of the third. . . . D Ethan Bear had two assists. . . . Seattle’s PP was 0-16 before Tyszka’s goal. . . . The Americans got 22 saves from G Rylan Parenteau. . . . The Thunderbirds were 1-2 on the PP; the Americans were 0-5. . . . Seattle (17-13-3) had lost its previous three games. . . . Tri-City (19-15-3) has lost four in a row. . . . Announced attendance: 3,601.
——

At Spokane, G Ty Edmonds stopped 30 shots to lead the Prince George Cougars to a 2-1 victory over
TY EDMONDS
the Chiefs. . . . Edmonds, 20, made his 188th appearance with the Cougars, tying the franchise record held by Scott Myers. Edmonds also went over 5,000 career saves during this game. . . . The Cougars took a 2-0 lead on goals from D Tate Olson, his third, on a PP, at 5:07 of the first period, and F Aaron Boyd, his fourth, at 14:11 of the third. . . . F Keanu Yamamoto scored his 14th goal for the Chiefs, at 16:41 of the third. That ran his point streak to 14, the longest active run in the WHL at the moment. He’s got 21 points, including nine goals, in those 14 games. . . . Spokane G Dawson Weatherill turned aside 26 shots. . . . The Cougars were 1-2 on the PP; the Chiefs were 0-3. . . . The Cougars (26-8-2) go into the break having won five in a row. They will have a happy holiday as they assured themselves of staying in first place overall. . . . The Chiefs are 14-13-6. . . . The Cougars were without F Jesse Gabrielle (undisclosed injury) for a second straight game. . . . F Wyatt Sloboshan and D Nolan Reid, who were acquired earlier in the week from the Saskatoon Blades, made their Spokane debuts. . . . Announced attendance: 6,094.
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At Victoria, F Ty Ronning’s PP goal, at 4:46 of OT, gave the Vancouver Giants a 5-4 victory over the
TY RONNING
Royals. . . . Ronning has 11 goals this season. . . . The Giants took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals from F Jack Flaman (10), at 9:56, and F Tyler Benson, on a PP, at 13:34. . . . (Flaman is from Vibank, Sask. Might he be related to ex-NHLer Fernie Flaman, who was from Dysart, Sask.?) . . . Victoria F Eric Flochuk’s second goal, at 15:57, was the Teddy Bear Goal. . . . Because that goal came in the last five minutes of a period, the teams were sent to their dressing rooms while the ice was cleared. . . . When play resumed, Vancouver D Jeff Rayman got his first goal, at 17:53, for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Royals roared back to take the lead on goals from D Chaz Reddekopp (5), on a PP, 54 seconds into the second period; F Matt Phillips (24), at 19:55; and F Jack Walker (17), at 8:44. Walker scored from behind the icing line as he banked the puck in off G Ryan Kubic. . . . The Giants forced OT when F Thomas Foster scored his eighth goal, at 18:42 of the third period. . . . One night after he drew three assists in a 6-4 victory over the visiting Portland Winterhawks, Benson had a goal and three assists. He drew assists on the Giants’ last two goals. This season, he has 10 goals and 24 assists in 28 games. Last season, one that was ruined by health and injury concerns, he finished with nine goals and 19 assists in 30 games. . . . Ronning and Foster each added an assist. . . . Victoria D Ryan Gagnon had two assists, with Walker and Phillips adding one each. . . . Gagnon played in his 284th regular-season game, setting a Royals’ career record. He had shared the record with F Logan Fisher (2012-16). The Chilliwack/Victoria record belongs to F Brandon Magee, who played in 318 games with the Bruins (2010-15). Gagnon could finish this season having played in 320 games. . . . Kubic finished with 38 saves. . . . Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse gave up four goals on 17 shots in 22:39. Dylan Myskiw stopped 24 of 25 shots in 42:07. . . . Vancouver was 2-5 on the PP; Victoria was 1-4. . . . The Giants (13-18-3) have won two in a row. . . . The Royals (17-15-4) have lost two straight. . . . Announced attendance: 6,129.
——

SUNDAY’S GAMES (all times local):

Kootenay at Calgary, 2 p.m.
Kelowna at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
——

DEC. 19-26:

No Games Scheduled.
——

TEDDY BEAR, TOQUE AND MITTEN TOSS GAMES:

Dec. 17: F Braylon Shmyr, 2:13 2nd period, Brandon 3 at Saskatoon 2.
Dec. 17: F Eetu Tuulola, 19:29 2nd period, Portland 2 at Everett 4.
Dec. 17: F Eric Florchuk, 15:57 1st period, Vancouver 5 at Victoria 4 (OT).
Saturday, Jan. 21: Vancouver vs. Seattle, at Kent, Wash., 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 26: D Micheal Zipp, 19:47 1st period, Lethbridge 4 at Calgary 2.
Dec. 2: D Artyom Minulin, 13:24 1st period, Calgary 1 at Swift Current 5.
Dec. 2: F Jordy Bellerive, 14:00 1st period, Red Deer 3 at Lethbridge 5.
Dec. 3: F Adam Musil, 14:27 1st period, Lethbridge 2 at Red Deer 3 (OT).
Dec. 3: D Ondrej Vala, 10:38 1st period, Vancouver 2 at Kamloops 5.
Dec. 3: F Nick Merkley, 6:54 2nd period, Brandon 1 at Kelowna 3.
Dec. 9: F Austin Glover, 0:32 2nd period, Moose Jaw 7 at Prince Albert 3. 
Dec. 9: F Riley Woods, 11:45 1st period, Swift Current 1 at Regina 8.
Dec. 9: F Keanu Yamamoto, 4:01 1st period, Kootenay 3 at Spokane 4.
Dec. 10: D Josh Thrower, 12:13 1st period, Prince Albert 4 at Moose Jaw 5 (SO).
Dec. 10: F Nick Bowman, 13:38 2nd period, Kamloops 3 at Edmonton 2.
Dec. 10: D Troy Murray, 1:51 2nd, Kelowna 7 at Kootenay 3.
Dec. 10: F Max Gerlach, 5:26 1st period, Calgary 4 at Medicine Hat 7.
Dec. 10: F Skyler McKenzie 2:21 1st, Everett 2 at Portland 5.
Dec. 10: F Josh Curtis, 6:02 2nd period, Seattle 4 at Prince George 6.
Dec. 10: F Tyler Sandhu, 0:36 1st period, Victoria 3 at Tri-City 4.
Dec. 16: F Linden McCorrister, 17:47 1st period, Saskatoon 2 at Brandon 3 (SO).
Dec. 16: F James Malm, 3:34 1st period, Portland 4 vs. Vancouver 6, at Langley, B.C.

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