Pats gain some life . . . Rockets have Royals on ropes . . . Brown a hall of famer

D Michael Busto (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kootenay, 2001-07) has signed a one-year extension with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). This season, in 24 games, he had three goals and 11 assists. . . .
F Riley Emmerson (Tri-City, 2004-06) has signed a one-year contract as player/head coach with the Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland, UK Elite).This season, with Edinburgh, had had 14 goals and 18 assists in 50 games. That was strictly in a playing role; he was an alternate captain.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, the Pats broke a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and went on to beat the Brandon Wheat Kings, 3-2. . . . Brandon leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Regina tonight. . . . Game 5 is scheduled for Brandon on Friday. . . . The Wheat Kings had won their previous six games. . . . F Jared McAmmond’s first playoff goal gave the Pats a 1-0 lead at 4:45 of the first period. . . . That was Regina’s first lead of the series. . . . Brandon F Stelio Mattheos, the first pick in the 2014 bantam draft, tied it with his first goal at 15:48. . . . D Carter Hansen put the Pats back into the lead with his first goal at 1:53 of the second. . . . F Jesse Gabrielle, who was acquired from the Pats from Brandon in January, got his second goal at 5:08 for a 3-1 lead. . . . Brandon F Peter Quenneville, with his second goal, cut into the lead on a PP at 18:32 of the second. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple stopped 39 shots, 11 more than Brandon’s Jordan Papirny. . . . Brandon was 1-for-3 on the PP; Regina was 0-for-1. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches were F Rihards Bukarts, F Jayce Hawryluk, F Morgan Klimchuk and D Colton Waltz. . . . D Chase Harrison (undisclosed injury) and D Sergey Zborovskiy (suspended) were among Regina’s scratches. . . . D Brady Pouteau, a fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft, made his playoff debut with the Pats. Poteau, who turned 17 on Jan. 9, is from Oak Bluff, Man. (Not Oak Lake. Not Oak River. Oak Bluff.) He played for the midget AAA Pembina Valley Hawks. . . . Attendance was 5,236.

In Victoria, special teams were a big deal as the Kelowna Rockets dumped the Royals, 4-2. . . . The Rockets lead the series, 3-0, having outscored the Royals 13-5. . . . The Rockets scored a shorthanded goal and two on the PP as they erased an early 1-0 deficit. . . . F Alex Forsberg got Victoria on the board with his third goal at 1:03 of the first period. . . . Kelowna F Leon Draisaitl tied it with a shorthanded goal at 8:18. It was his first goal of this series and third of the playoffs. . . . F Nick Merkley gave Kelowna the lead with a PP score at 14:19. It was his second goal of the playoffs. . . . The Royals tied it when F Greg Chase got his sixth goal 54 seconds into the second period. . . . The Rockets scored the game’s last two goals, with F Gage Quinney getting his fourth goal at 9:02 of the second and D Madison Bowey scoring his fourth, on a PP, at 15:16. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-6 on the PP; Victoria was 0-for-6. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 28 shots as the Rockets ran their winning streak to seven games. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath turned aside 24 shots. . . . Rockets F Tyson Baillie had two assists. . . . Yesterday, in this space, I mentioned that Shaw TV was covering the Medicine Hat-Calgary series in its entirety. Yes, that was in error. Shaw actually is showing all games in the Kelowna-Victoria series, including Game 4. It will be played in Victoria tonight. . . . D Josh Morrissey was among Kelowna’s scratches, although he is in Victoria with his teammates. . . . Attendance was 5,517.
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F Cole Ully of the Kamloops Blazers has been reassigned to the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, Ully was selected by Dallas in the fifth round of the NHL’s 2013 draft and has signed an NHL deal. Ully has been in Texas for a while now, but the move was just made official, which frees him up to dress for the AHL team. This season, he had 94 points, including 34 goals, in 69 games.
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I was remiss in not mentioning earlier in the week that Bob Brown, the architect of those great Kamloops Blazers teams in the late-1980s and early-1990s, was inducted into the Kamloops Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday. (I, too, was surprised that he hadn’t been inducted a long time ago.) Brown was the general manager, head cook and chief bottle washer when the Blazers on the 1992, 1994 and 1995 Memorial Cup titles. . . . If Brown wasn’t the best GM in WHL history, he certainly is in the conversation. . . . These days, Brown is a scout with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
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F Connor McDavid totalled 14 points in the Erie Otters’ sweep of the London Knights in the OHL playoffs. Erie will play the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the next round.
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In the MJHL, the Portage Terriers completed a sweep of the Steinbach Pistons to sweep the championship final. The Terriers, the host team for the RBC Cup, went 12-0 in the playoffs. The Terriers had gone 53-3-4 in the regular season. . . . In the BCHL, F Dakota Conroy (Brandon, Victoria, Prince Albert, 2010-15) drew four assists to lead the Penticton Vees to an 8-5 victory over the host Nanaimo Clippers. The Clippers won twice in Penticton; the Vees won twice in Nanaimo. They’ll play Game 5 in Penticton on Thursday and Game 6 in Nanaimo on Friday.
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THE COACHING GAME:

The QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and head coach Ross Yates announced Tuesday that they have chosen to part company. . . . Yates joined the Sea Dogs as an assistant coach in 2012 and was the head coach by October 2013. He also was co-general manager, with Christian Vermette. Prior to this season, Yates dropped the GM part of his duties as Darrell Young became director of hockey operations. The Sea Dogs finished this season 32-26-10, then lost a first-round series to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
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The OHL’s Niagara IceDogs announced Tuesday that GM/head coach Marty Williamson will be out of action for the immediate future. “Williams is currently suffering from heart issues, which he is working to address,” according to a news release from the team. . . . Assistant coaches Dave Bell and Billy Burke are handling the team in Williamson’s absence. . . . Later Tuesday, the IceDogs beat the visiting Oshawa Generals 7-3 in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Generals lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 in St. Catharines on Thursday.
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The SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers have decided not to renew the contract of general manager/head coach Rockie Zinger. This season, the Klippers went 37-12-7 to finish atop the Kramer Division. Only the Sherwood Division’s Melfort Mustangs, with 87 points, finished with more points than the Klippers (81). Kindersley was 6-4 in the playoffs, losing a semifinal series in six games to the Notre Dame Hounds. . . . Zinger moved up from assistant coach to head coach in Kindersley in December 2010 when he replaced Larry Wintoneak.

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The new rink for @tigershockey is taking shape on the west side of Medicine Hat. #viewfromthehighway pic.twitter.com/SEJY55WYqs
— Brad Curle (@BCurle_Hitmen) April 14, 2015

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Rudolf Cerveny (Regina, 2007-09) and F Martin Podlesak (Tri-City, Lethbridge, 2000-02) signed one-year plus option contract extensions with Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). . . . Cerveny had three goals and two assists in 33 games with Ceske Budejovice and four assists in 11 games on loan to Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic, 1. Liga). . . . Podlesak had five goals and two assists in 32 games with Ceske Budejovice this season. . . .

D Michael Busto (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kootenay, 2001-07) signed a two-year contract extension with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). He had three goals and 11 assists in 26 games this season. Angers finished the regular season in first place and lost to Rouen in Game 7 of the final, 4-3 in overtime. . . .

F Alex Leavitt (Swift Current, Everett, 2003-06) signed a one-year contract with Oskarshamn (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had one goal and four assists in 13 games with Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia, Austria Erste Bank Liga) and 13 goals and 35 assists in 32 games with Schwenninger Wild Wings (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) this season. . . .

F Petr Dvorak (Regina, 2002-03) signed a one-year contract extension with Cracovia Krakow (Poland, Ekstraliga). He had 15 goals and 13 assists in 32 games this season for the Polish champions. . . .

F Curtis Huppe (Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Tri-City, 1995-2000) signed a one-year contract extension with the Guilford Flames (England Premier). He had 50 goals and 31 assists in 50 games with the English Premier champions this season.
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The USHL held Phase II of its draft last night. If you’re a fan of drafts, you have to love the USHL round-by-round. It’s right here, and if you click on a player’s name you will get his stats. Great stuff!
ushl.rinknetcloud.com/draft27.htm
Some names that caught my eye . . .

F Chris Wilkie was the second overall selection, going to the Tri-City Storm, in the the USHL draft on Tuesday evening. Wilkie, who turns 17 on July 10, has committed to North Dakota and has said he is leaving the U.S. National Team Development Program. . . . His WHL rights belong to the Victoria Royals, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Storm plays out of Kearney, Nebraska. Wilkie is from Omaha and would become the first Nebraska native to play for the Storm should he, as expected, sign with there.

Still with the USHL draft, F Tyson McClellan, the son of San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McClellan, was picked by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the sixth round, 84th overall. Tyson, 17, has twice been in training camp with the Kamloops Blazers. . . .
Waterloo selected F Tanner MacMaster of Calgary in the fourth round, 57th overall. The Spokane Chiefs selected him in the first round, 19th overall, of the WHL’s 2011 bantam draft. He played this season with t he AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks and has committed to Boston College. . . .

F Ryan Gropp of Kamloops was taken in the eighth round, 108th overall, by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL’s draft on Tuesday evening. Gropp, who turns 17 on Sept. 16, played this season with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. His WHL rights belong to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who selected him sixth overall in the WHL’s 2011 draft. The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has yet to publicly declare whether he will play in the WHL or take the NCAA route.

G Dawson MacAuley, whose WHL rights were acquired Thursday by the Regina Pats, was taken by the Lincoln Stars in the 22nd round, 326th overall. . . . MacAuley, who turns 19 on June 14, is from Prince Albert. He has some WHL experience with t he Medicine Hat Tigers, but played most of this season with the SJHL-champion Yorkton Terriers. The Pats acquired MacAuley from the Calgary Hitmen for a fourth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.


The Dubuque Fighting Saints selected D David Quenneville of Edmonton with the last pick of the 27th round. He was selected 10th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL bantam draft on Thursday.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The BCHL’s Langley Rivermen have signed Jon Calvano as assistant general manager and associate coach. Calvano spent the past three years as head coach of the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, going 92-87-3-4. . . . With the Rivermen, Calvano will work alongside GM/head coach Bobby Henderson.
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In the QMJHL, the host Baie-Comeau Drakkar scored a 3-1 victory over the Halifax Mooseheads. . . . Halifax, which now is 14-1 in these playoffs, holds a 2-1 lead with Game 4 in Baie-Comeau tonight.
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The WHL’s playoff situation:
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Portland vs. Edmonton
(Portland leads, 2-1)
(All times local)
Game 1: Friday — Edmonton 4 at Portland 1 (10,097)
Game 2: Saturday — Edmonton 0 at Portland 3 (10,947)
Game 3: Tuesday — Portland 3 at Edmonton 1 (8,513)
Game 4: Today, May 8, at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Game 5: Friday, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x-Game 6: Sunday, at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
x-Game 7: Monday, May 13, at Portland (Rose Garden), 7 p.m.
x – if necessary.


All games are being televised by Shaw in Canada. They also will be televised in Portland, with Games 4, 5 and 6 on Comcast SportsNet, and Game 7 on Root Sports.
Comcast and Roots will pick up the Shaw telecast that feature play-by-play man Dan Russell, along with Bill Wilms, Peter Loubardias and Andy Neal.
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TUESDAY’S GAME:
In Edmonton, F Ty Rattie tied the WHL record for career playoff goals as the Portland Winterhawks beat the Oil Kings, 3-1. . . . Rattie scored his WHL-leading 17th goal to give Portland a 2-0 lead in the first period. That was his 47th career playoff goal, tying him with F Mark Pederson (Medicine Hat, 1983-88). . . . Rattie has played in 73 career playoff games; Pederson played in 71. . . . Rattie also leads the WHL with 33 points, in 18 games. Last season, he put up 33 points in 21 games, finishing one point behind then-teammate F Sven Baertschi. . . . The Winterhawks dominated the first period, getting goals from F Taylor Leier (8:39), Rattie (8:14) and F Oliver Bjorkstrand (15:48). . . . Portland G Mac Carruth, who lost his shutout bid when F Michael St. Croix scored at 9:13 of the second, stopped 38 shots. . . . Edmonton G Laurent Brossoit turned saide 24. . . . The Oil Kings remain without F Trevor Cheek, who has an undisclosed injury and may not play at all in the series, and D Griffin Reinhart, whose season was ended by a skate cut to a foot that required surgery.
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The Winterhawks gained at least a measure of revenge with last night’s victory, writes Evan Daum, who is covering the games in Edmonton for The Oregonian. That story is right here.
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“Maybe they had no ‘puck luck’, but the Edmonton Oil Kings fell 3-1 in Game 3 of the WHL finals at Rexall Place — and 2-1 in the series — to the Portland Winterhawks at Rexall Place on Tuesday night,” writes Dave (Crash) Cameron of the Edmonton Sun. His story is right here.
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Veteran Edmonton Sun columnist Terry Jones figures the Winterhawks “are going to be hard to stop now.” His column from Game 3 is right here.
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The Oil Kings, writes Chris O’Leary of the Edmonton Journal, “have started each game of the series progressively slower, with the results becoming increasingly predicable.” His game story is right here.
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Columnist John MacKinnon of the Edmonton Journal writes that the Oil Kings know what they want to do, but “it’s putting the plan into action that’s hanging them up.” His piece is right here.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT (21):
None

CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT (7):
None
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TWEET OF THE DAY:
From the USHL’s Chicago Steel (@ChicagoSteel): “With (its) final pick the Steel draft Jack Jablonski. Congrats @Jabs_13 on becoming a member of the Steel!”
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From Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13): “Best night ever. #steel”

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jaroslav Svoboda (Kootenay, 1998-2000) signed a one-year contract with Lev Prague (Czech Republic, KHL). He had five goals and six assists in 41 games with Kometa Brno (Czech Republic, Extraliga) last season. . . .
D Craig Schira (Regina, Vancouver, 2003-09) signed a one-year contract with Frisk Asker (Norway, GET-Ligaen). He had four goals and nine assists in 73 games with the Binghamton Senators (AHL) last season. . . .
D Michael Busto (Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Kootenay, 2001-07) signed a one-year contract with Angers (France, Ligue Magnus). He had one goal and 12 assists in 65 games with the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) last season. . . .
F Kris Beech (Calgary. 1996-2001) signed a one-year contract with Pardubice (Czech Republic, Extraliga). He had 15 goals and 20 assists in 59 games for Lukko Raumu (Finland, SM-Liiga) last season. . . .
F Tyler Mosienko (Kelowna, 2000-05) signed a one-year contract with Esbjerg (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had 13 goals and 26 assists in 36 games for the Nippon Paper Cranes Kushiro (Japan, Asia Hockey League) last season. . . .
Red Bull Munich (Germany, DEL) announced that F Eric Schneider (Tri-City, 1995-96) will sit out the 2012-2013 season due to ongoing knee issues. He had 16 goals and 30 assists in 52 games last season while dealing throughout the entire season with what Red Bull called "a serious knee injury." In spite of this, Schneider didn’t miss a game during the regular season, leading the team in goals, assists, and points and finishing 12th in DEL scoring. He signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull Munich in March 2011.
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There isn’t a prouder father around these days than Bill Stewart, who owns the NAHL’s Wenatchee, Wash., Wild. His daughter, Chelsea, was on the roster when the Canadian women’s soccer team for the London Olympics was named on Monday. . . . Bill Stewart is from The Pas, Man., and, if you aren’t aware, starred as Albert in a Canadian Tire commercial back in the day. . . . “I guess that leaves Albert.” . . . “Boy, I sure wish we had a guy like Albert.”
If you haven’t seen it, or want another look, it’s right here. And it’s a great one!
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The Prince George Cougars have signed F Brad Morrison, who was the seventh overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft. Morrison, from Westside, B.C., had 141 points, including 83 goals, for team at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton last season. . . . The Cougars cut a deal with Everett Silvertips in order to move up in the draft and select Morrison, who has family in the Prince George area. . . . The Cougars now have signed their two first-round selections, as they got a deal done with F Jansen Harkins earlier.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes have released Slovakian F Juraj Bezuch, 18, so will be using the 17th overall selection in today’s CHL import draft. Bezuch, the 56th pick in last year’s import draft, had 21 points in 67 games with Lethbridge. . . . Lethbridge GM/head coach Rich Preston confirmed yesterday that the Hurricanes are bringing back D Albin Blomqvist, 19, who had three points in 38 games last season.
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Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada has his weekly 30 Thoughts right here.
It includes a piece on the New York Islanders apparently offering all of their 2012 draft picks to Columbus for the Blue Jacket’s first selection.
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THE COACHING GAME:
Scott Arniel is the new head coach of the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. He replaces Craig McTavish, who left to rejoin the Edmonton Oilers as vice-president of hockey operations. . . .
According to multiple reports, the Edmonton Oilers are poised to introduce Ralph Krueger as their new head coach today. He would replace Tom Renney, who was dropped after last season. . . . There now are reports that Renney, a former Kamloops Blazers’ head coach, will end up with the ZSC Lions in Zurich, Switzerland. Bob Hartley left the Lions to sign on as head coach of the Calgary Flames. There then were rumours that Krueger, a veteran of the Swiss coaching scene, would be joining the Lions. . . . Instead, it could be Krueger taking Renney’s spot and Renney going to Zurich. . . . The carousel continues. . . . Krueger played three games with the New Westminster Bruins in 1978-79 and had 83 points with the 1978-79 Calgary Wranglers.
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The Kootenay Ice has traded D John Neibrandt to the Vancouver Giants for a fifth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. Neibrandt is 19 now, but turns 20 on Oct. 9 so is going into his 20-year-old season. . . . In 134 regular-season games with the Ice, the 6-foot-5, 196-pounder from Yorkton, Sask., has 19 points and 83 penalty minutes. . . . The deal leaves the Ice with seven 20-year-olds on its roster, four over the limit. F Max Reinhart (Calgary) and D Luke Paulsen (post-concussion syndrome) aren’t expected to return. F Drew Czerwonka, D Joey Leach, F Dylen McKinlay, F Brock Montgomery and F Elgin Pearce also are on the Ice roster. . . . The Giants’ roster now includes six 20-year-olds, although F Brendan Gallagher (Montreal) and F Jordan Martinook (Phoenix) are eligible to play professionally.  The others are D Wes Vannieuwenhuizen, D Tyler Vanscourt and F Taylor Makin.
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The Vancouver Giants have signed D Shaun Dosanjh. From Richmond, B.C., he was a third-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft.
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With Joe Sakic, a product of the Swift Current Broncos, going into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Mark Spector of sportsnet.ca mentioned on Twitter (@SportsnetSpec) that he hasn’t seen a wrist shot as good as Sakic’s. . . . A fan tweeting as @AndersonEd27 responded: During the lock out I was playing pickup vs Joe. His wrist shot broke the webbing in my catching. . . . He dropped $300 in my locker after for a new one.#Class.
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If you haven’t seen minor hockey’s latest black eye, it’s right here. Watch as a Vancouver minor hockey sticks out his right foot and trips an opposing player during the handshake line last weekend at the U of British Columbia. . . . The video and story are from CTV News.
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Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald toots his own profession’s horn right here. Hey, someone has to do it.
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And while we’re on that subject, right here is a piece from the Sherman Report that carries this headline: Deford address to sports editors: New media age creating sociery of ‘optionally illiterate people.’ . . . That would be Frank Deford, and this is an interesting read.


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