Chartier, Magee tie records . . . Gordon continues streak . . . Constantine gets the gate

Defenceman Kevin Davis of the Everett Silvertips scores in the 15th round
of a Saturday night shootout with the Kamloops Blazers. That goal gave
Everett a 3-2 victory.
(Photo: Chris Mast / mastimages.com)

Kelowna F Rourke Chartier tied a franchise record on Saturday when he scored a goal for a 10th straight game as the Rockets beat the Cougars 6-2 in Prince George. He now shares the record with F Jesse Schultz, who did it in 2002-03. The Rockets meet the Royals in Victoria on Tuesday. . . .(A tip of the hat to Regan Bartel, the radio voice of the Rockets, for this one.) . . .

F Brandon Magee of the Victoria Royals tied a franchise record with five assists in Saturday’s 7-5 victory over the Giants in Vancouver. Magee shares that record with F Mark Santorelli, who managed that feat with the Chilliwack Bruins (remember them?) in a 7-2 victory over the Cougars in Prince George on Oct. 27, 2007. . . . (A tip of the hat to Marlon Martens, the radio voice of the Royals, for this one.)

The Vancouver Giants leave today for Prince George and a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader with the Cougars. Steve Ewen of the Vancouver Province reports that D Ryely McKinstry, who has an undisclosed injury, won’t make the trip, but that F Tyler Benson, who suffered an undisclosed injury at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, and F Jakob Stukel (hand) should be on the bus.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Swift Current, the Broncos erased a 1-0 deficit with two second-period goals and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds, 2-1. . . . F Colby Cave pulled the Broncos even at 6:52 on the PP, and F Glenn Gawdin gave them the lead at 8:06. . . . Cave has nine goals; Gawdin has six. . . . Gawdin also had an assist. . . . Broncos F Coda Gordon drew an assist to run his point streak to 14 games, the longest in the WHL this season. . . . Broncos D Ayrton Nikkel and Seattle F Luke Osterman were ejected after a fight at 5:26 of the second period. They scrapped as they came out of the penalty box after serving unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Have to wonder if they won’t get suspended for being involved in a staged fight. . . . The Broncos (12-8-4) have points in four straight (2-0-2). . . . The Thunderbirds (9-10-3) have lost two in a row. They finished their East Division swing at 2-4-0. Author Gare Joyce, who besides writing novels does features for Sportsnet Magazine, rode the bus with the Thunderbirds during the trip. . . . The Thunderbirds continue to be without F Mathew Barzal, who I’m told has a broken kneecap. He is expected to be out up to six weeks. . . . The Broncos were without F Tanner LeSann, who drew a one-game suspension for being involved in a staged fight nine seconds into Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the visiting Prince Albert Raiders. D Mackenze Stewart of the Raiders also was suspended for one game. . . .

In Calgary, G Trevor Martin stopped 47 shots but it wasn’t enough as his Saskatoon Blades dropped a 4-1 decision to the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Calgary scored twice in the first period and put it away with two more in the third, after the visitors had cut the deficit to 2-1. . . . D Michael Zipp had a goal, his third, and an assist for the Hitmen. . . . Calgary (10-8-3) has points in six straight (4-0-2), while the Blades (6-17-0) have lost three in a row. . . . Saskatoon played without F Nick Zajac, who was given a one-game suspension after taking a boarding major in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Rebels in Red Deer. . . . Among’s Saskatoon’s scratches was F Alex Forsberg, with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last seven goals and beat the Evertt Silvertips, 7-1. . . . Portland F Nik Petan scored twice to erase a 1-0 first-period deficit. He’s got four goals this season. . . . After his second goal, at 18:21 of the first period, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine was ejected from the game. Portland freelancer Scott Sepich tweeted: “Constantine basically forced the ejection by not putting any players on the ice after Portland’s 2nd goal. Held up the game to grandstand.” . . . Here’s what appeared on the Silvertips’ website: “Tempers flared after Ivan Nikolishin was launched into the boards from behind by Alex Schoenborn, but the ensuing penalties led only to a 4-on-4 situation. Petan scored his second of the period seconds later and Constantine was then ejected for arguing the calls with the officials.” . . . Petan also had an assist, while F Alex Schoenborn scored twice, giving him five.. . . .Portland F Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 12th goal of the season. It came via the PP that was awarded when Constantine was ejected with a bench minor. . . . Portland was 3-for-5 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-6. . . . The Winterhawks (9-11-3) are 2-0-1 in their last three games. . . . Everett (14-3-3) was trying to win its third game in as many nights. It had beaten visiting Portland 4-3 in a shootout on Friday. . . . These teams already have met six times this season, with Everett now holding a 4-1-1 advantage.
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F Colton McCarthy (96) signs with @VernonVipers after leaving @PARaidersHockey last month to return home to Salmon Arm. #BCHL #WHL
— Brian Wiebe (@Brian_Wiebe) November 17, 2014

Paging Bob Strumm . . . Winterhawks release goaltender . . . Cave quiets Hurricanes

F Sean Ringrose (Medicine Hat, 2007-09) has been released by Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga). He had two goals and four assists in 16 games.
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A note from sports columnist Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post:
“The Regina Pats' biggest opponent continues to be the Roughriders, even though relations between the two organizations are amicable.
The Pats have won three consecutive games to improve their record to 8-8-1-0, but most of the sporting-related chatter in the greater Regina area pertains to the Roughriders.
“Such is life at this time of year, but the Pats - who provide a consistently entertaining product - should not be overlooked.”
One more note from Vanstone:
“Promotion-wise, though, WHL teams do not do themselves any favours. Rivalries have been sanitized. Nobody utters anything that will add to the intrigue that surrounds a game. Instead, there is the usual, eyeglazing hockey-speak about ‘compete level’ and ‘getting pucks deep.' Where have you gone, Bob Strumm?”
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G Bolton Pouliot’s stay with the Portland Winterhawks was brief, indeed. Pouliot’s name disappeared from Portland’s roster sometime on Friday. In six games there, the 20-year-old Calgarian was 2-2-0/3.90/.872. . . . He had been gifted to the Winterhawks by Kamloops last month, after going 4-2-0/3.04/.899 with the Blazers. . . . The Winterhawks still have three goaltenders on that roster, in Brendan Burke, Aden Hill and Michael Bullion. . . . Bullion came up from the NAHL’s Wenatchee, Wash., Wild with Burke and Hill both injured. Last night, Bullion went the distance in a 5-4 loss to the visiting Red Deer Rebels. Burke was on the bench in a backup role. . . . Meanwhile, the Winterhawks also have released F Colton Veloso from the roster. The 17-year-old Winnipegger had one goal in eight games.
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When you have a minute or two, visit the website of the Saskatoon Express right here and find the Oct. 20 issue. Flip forward to Page 3 and check out Ned Powers’ story on Jim McIntyre, who has had a lengthy involvement with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. He is 75 years of age and still is the organization’s president. These are the kind of people who are so important to minor hockey today. . . . The 2004-05 Contacts, the national champions, were inducted into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 1.
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FRIDAY’S GAMES:

In Regina, D Michael Zipp broke a 3-3 tie in the third period and the Calgary Hitmen went on to a 5-3 victory over the Pats. . . . Zipp, who has two goals, scored at 9:51, just 1:38 after F Austin Wagner had pulled the Pats even with his fourth goal. . . . F Radel Fazleev had a goal, his eighth, and three assists for Calgary, which got two goals from F Connor Rankin, who doubled his output for this season. . . . Calgary D Ben Thomas had three assists, while F Jake Virtanen earned two. . . . Calgary F Pavel Kamaukhov scored his 10th goal on a first-period PP. . . . Calgary was 2-for-2 on the PP. . . . The Hitmen (10-8-1) have won three straight. . . . The Pats (8-9-1) had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . Regina D James Hilsendager took a puck in the face in the first period and didn’t return. . . .

In Prince Albert, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s first five goals en route to a 6-2 victory over the Raiders. . . . The visitors, opening an East Division swing, struck for three goals in a span of 2:18 early in the first period to take control. . . . F Ryan Gropp led the Thunderbirds with his eighth goal and two assists. . . . D Evan Wardley and F Scott Eansor each had two assists for the winners. . . . G Taran Kozun stopped 33 shots for Seattle (8-6-3). . . . The Raiders (8-11-0) took 57 of the game’s 80 minutes in penalties. . . . Seattle scratched F Mathew Barzal with an undisclosed injury. Apparently, he could be out for two weeks or so. . . .

In Moose Jaw, D Ty Stanton scored at 4:20 of OT to give the Medicine Hat Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Warriors. . . . Stanton is the younger brother of former Warriors D Ryan Stanton, who now plays with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. . . . Moose Jaw led 2-0 by the 7:27-mark of the first period and also led 3-2 eaerly in the third period. . . . Medicine Hat F Chad Butcher scored his 11th goal at 7:07 of the third to force extra time. . . . Stanton’s third goal won it for the Tigers (13-3-1). . . . F Jack Rodewald scored twice, giving him 10 goals, for Moose Jaw (7-9-2). He’s got 17 points, including eight goals, in his last 12 games. . . . Warriors F Brayden Point had two assists, giving him 14 points over his last 11 games. . . . Medicine Hat was able to dress only 16 skaters, two under the maximum. . . . The same teams play again tonight, this time in Medicine Hat where the Warriors have lost 11 in a row. . . .

In Brandon, G Jordan Papirny turned aside 46 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blades. . . . Brandon (15-3-1) scored four times in the game’s opening 15 minutes as it won for the fifth straight game. . . . F Reid Duke had three assists for Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings F Jayce Hawryluk scored his 12th goal, while F Jesse Gabrielle got his 11th. . . . Brandon’s imports, F Rihards Bukarts and D Ivan Provorov, each had two assists. . . . Saskatoon’s Brett Stovin, a forward pressed into duty on the back end because of injuries, scored his second goal and added an assist. . . . The Blades (5-13-0) have lost four in a row. . . . Among Saskatoon’s scratches were G Nik Amundrud, D Adam Henry and D Jordan Thomson, all of whom have concussions. . . .

In Cranbrook, F Sam Reinhart scored 32 seconds into his first game and the Kootenay Ice went on to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings. . . . Reinhart, who turned 19 on Thursday, was playing his first game after being returned by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. He was the second overall selection in the 2014 draft. . . . He also scored 21 seconds into the second period, giving the home side a 2-1 lead. . . . F Tim Bozon helped the Ice with his first goal of the season and an assist. He was playing his first game since re-aggravating an injury on Oct. 25. . . . D Rinat Valiev had three assists for the Ice (5-13-0), which has won two in a row for the first time this season. . . . F Austin Vetterl’s second goal of the season, on a PP at 3:53 of the third period, gave the Ice a 4-2 lead. . . . The Ice had a 30-22 edge in shots. . . . The Oil Kings (9-8-2), who were again without F Edgars Kulda, are 0-5-1 in their last six. . . . Kootenay D Tyler King returned after a four-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Colby Cave scored the game’s last three goals to give the Swift Current Broncos a 4-3 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . The home side actually led this one 3-0 with 15 minutes to play in the third period. . . . F Tyler Steenbergen got the Broncos on the board at 5:53 of the third period. He’s got three goals. . . . Cave scored seven seconds later, then tied it at 8:11. . . . Cave’s seventh goal of the season won it for the Broncos (11-8-2) at 3:10 of OT. . . . Broncos G Travis Child stopped 27 shots, 15 fewer than Zac Robidoux of the Hurricanes. . . . Lethbridge (5-9-4) has points in its last four (1-0-3). . . .

In Prince George, F Chance Braid had a goal and an assist before being ejected as the Cougars edged the Victoria Royals, 3-2. . . . Braid scored his fifth goal to give his guys a 2-0 lead at 13:19 of the first period. He had assisted on Jari Erricson’s 11th at 8:41. . . . Braid took a charging-from-behind major and game misconduct at 12:11 of the third period so may not be eligible for tonight’s rematch. . . . Cougars F Jansen Harkins scored his fifth goal, on a PP at 5:31 of the third, for a 3-1 lead. . . . The Royals got goals from F Brandon Magee, his fifth, and F Austin Carroll, his 12th. . . . Royals G Jayden Sittler stopped 21 shots in his first WHL start. . . . Victoria (9-9-2) was 2-for-6 on the PP; the Cougars were 1-for-5. . . . The Cougars (11-8-0) have won four in a row. They also swept their last two home-ice doubleheaders, from Vancouver and Kamloops. . . . Prince George was without D Mark McNulty, who suffered an undisclosed injury in practice this week. . . .

In Portland, F Wyatt Johnson broke a 4-4 tie with 10.8 seconds left in the third period as the Red Deer Rebels dropped the Winterhawks, 5-4. . . . Johnson had two goals, giving him nine, and added an assist. . . . The Winterhawks trailed 4-2 in the second period before F Dominic Turgeon, with his fifth, and F Chase De Leo, with his 11th, scored at 15:36 and 16:51. . . . G Tylan Toth stopped 44 shots for Red Deer (9-8-2), including all 15 that were fired his way in the third period. . . . The Winterhawks (7-11-2) had won their previous two games. . . . The Rebels are 3-1-1 on a swing that wraps up tonight against the host Tri-City Americans. . . .

In Kelowna, F Rourke Chartier scored twice to help the Rockets to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs. . . . Chartier leads the WHL with 17 goals in 17 games. Last season, he scored 24 times in 72 games. He went into this season with 37 goals in 130 games. . . . F Nick Merkley, the WHL points leader, scored his seventh goal and added an assist. He leads in assists (25) and points (32). . . . The Rockets (16-1-1) scored the game’s first three goals, before the Chiefs (7-5-3) got back in it on goals from F Liam Stewart, his seventh, at 17:52 of the second period and F Adam Helewka, on a penalty shot, 18 seconds into the third. . . . The Rockets are 6-0-1 in their last seven. . . . Kelowna was without F Tyrell Goulbourne, who served a one-game suspension he received for instigating a fight late in a Wednesday game. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., linemates Parker Bowles and Richard Nejezchleb each had a goal and three assists to help the Tri-City Americans to a 5-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Americans, who got 36 stops from G Eric Comrie, scored the game’s first three goals and its last two. . . . Bowles has seven this season. . . . Nejezchleb, a 20-year-old Czech who has two goals, was playing his second game with the Americans since being acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . The Americans (11-8-0) had F Brian Williams and F Justin Gutierrez back from injuries, while F Cole Ully returned to the Blazers’ lineup after an illness-induced absence. . . . Gutierrez scored his third goal, while Ully had an assist. . . . Tri-City D Parker Wotherspoon scored his fifth goal and added two assists. . . . The Blazers (9-9-2) are 0-3-1 in their last four. . . . The Americans were 3-for-6 on the PP, while Kamloops was 0-for-5. . . .

In Vancouver, the Everett Silvertips scored three first-period goals and went on to dump the Giants, 5-1. . . . F Patrick Bajkov scored twice for Everett (12-1-3), which has won six in a row. . . . He’s got five goals. . . . F Graham Millar helped out with his seventh goal and two assists. . . . F Matt Fonteyne and F Logan Aasman each scored his first goal of the season for the Silvertips. . . . Everett G Carter Hart stopped 30 shots, losing his shutout when F Dalton Sward scored his fourth goal at 11:26 of the second period. . . . The Giants are 7-10-0. . . . Each team was given four minor penalties.
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Reinhart scores on his first shift, now has WHL goals at the age of 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 @WHLKootenayICE
— Jeff Hollick  (@JHollick_ICE) November 8, 2014

Dave Maloney is a hockey analyst for MSG Network, which owned by the company that owns the New York Rangers. As such, he works on the broadcasts of Rangers games.
He also has a Twitter account – @DaveMaloney MSG.
Before Saturday, Maloney last tweeted on June 20.
Yesterday, he tweeted three times.
1. So you shut your league down 7 years ago and claim victory and now you have to blow it up again. Am I missing something here? #NHL
2. Long term lucrative extensions being offered and agreed to down to the wire under a system that "doesn't work" I don't get it #NHL
3. And finally. They agree not to talk. Great #NHLlockout
Oh boy, do I ever agree with Maloney!
I simply do not understand how NHL owners send Gary Bettman out to deal with the media and bitch and moan about how bad the present system is/was, and all the while they are negotiating new contracts with various players.
The gang at capgeek.com has done the numbers and it seems that 179 players have been signed to US$1.67 billion – BILLION! – worth of contracts singe July 1. (That may not include a couple of late signings from Saturday.)
This weekend, with the league headed for a lockout like a runaway train about to go over a cliff, NHL owners coughed up more than $200 million in contracts and extensions.
On Saturday, there was Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins signing for $18 million over three years, and Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks getting $20 million over five years, and Tyler Ennis of the Buffalo Sabres signing for $5.625 million over two years. It just went on and on.
After the Winnipeg Jets gave Evander Kane $31.5 million over six years, former NHLer Jeremy Roenick went to Twitter: “Evander Kane is a good player but 31 mil for 6 yrs?? 214 games 63 goals 63 assts career. And we wonder the problem?? Holy crap.”
The NHL has done nothing but boast about its improved revenues over the last few years. That, of course, is due mostly to the way fans streamed back to the game after the lockout that erased the 2004-05 season, including the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This time, you wonder if the fans will come back.
After all, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice . . .
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The Calgary Hitmen have dealt Russian F Alex Gogolev, 20, and a 2013 fourth-round bantam draft pick to the Victoria Royals for F Zane Jones, 18, and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft.
Gogolev had 57 points, including 25 goals, in 69 games as a freshman with the Hitmen last season. As a 20-year-old import, he is what is known as a two-spotter.
Gogolev joins F Jamie Crooks and D Tyler Stahl as the Royals’ 20-year-olds. The club’s other import is Czech G Patrik Polivka, an 18-year-old freshman who to this point looks like the real deal.
Jones, a fifth-round pick by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 2009 bantam draft, had 32 points, 14 of them goals, in 68 games with the Royals last season. He is from Olds, Alta.
The Hitmen still have four 20-year-olds – F Trevor Cheek, D Spencer Humphries, F Brooks Macek and F Cody Sylvester. Their roster shows Swedish F Victor Rask, 19, and Ukrainian F Pavlo Padakin, 18, as the two imports.
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The Everett Silvertips have traded D Tye Hand, 17, to the Regina Pats for a sixth-round pick in the 2014 bantam draft. Hand, from Yellowknife, was a second-round pick by Everett in the 2010 bantam draft. He was on Everett’s season-opening roster a year ago, but didn’t get into a game before assigned to the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons. . . . The Silvertips also assigned D Michael Zipp, 16, to Drumheller. The Edmontonian was a fourth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . That got Everett’s roster down to 27. . . . Moving Hand and Zipp gets the Silvertips down to eight defencemen, including Ryan Murray. Obviously, Murray’s arrival precipitated these moves because as long as he’s in town and as long as the NHL lockout goes on, he will eat up a lot of minutes.
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JUST NOTES: F Jason Trott, 20, who lost out in the 20-year-old numbers game with the Portland Winterhawks, has joined the BCHL’s Salmon Arm SilverBacks. He had five points in 36 games with Portland last season. . . . The Red Deer Rebels are down to 24 players after releasing F Ryley Bennefield, 18, from his tryout. . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix reports that Blades D Duncan Siemens was a healthy scratch on Saturday as the host Blades lost 4-3 to the Regina Pats. According to Nugent-Bowman, Siemens missed a team meeting. Also missing for the Blades were F Ryan Graham (back), F Shane McColgan (knee), G Alex Moodie (hamstring), F Lukas Sutter (shoulder) and D Dalton Thrower (groin). . . . According to Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, the Warriors released sophomore G Spencer Tremblay, who will turn 18 on Thursday, on Saturday. That leaves the Warriors with two goaltenders – Justin Paulic, who will be 17 on Oct. 7, and Daniel Wapple, 17. This is an interesting development, as Paulic, the pride of Thompson, Man., has played one regular-season and three playoff games in the WHL, while Wapple, from Saskatoon, has exactly one WHL exhibition game under his belt.

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Stop the presses! Stop the presses!!
That party to honour the WHL’s Mr. 3,000? Put it on hold. At least for a few days.
The Medicine Hat News reports that Bob Ridley, the radio voice of the Medicine Hat Tigers, won’t be broadcasting his 3,000th game tonight with the Kootenay Ice in town.
That, according to The News, will be No. 2,998.
Which means that Ridley will call No. 3,000 on Saturday night when the Tigers are in Lethbridge. (No. 2,999 will come on Friday when the Tigers meet the Ice in Cranbrook.)
No matter. They are going to go ahead and salute the play-calling bus driver tonight, as well they should.
Besides, as pointed out here the other day, when you throw in playoff and Memorial Cup games, Ridley long ago went past 3,000.
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I don’t know the process involved in nominating someone for the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. But should someone who is involved in that process happen to read this, I would suggest that Bob Ridley would be a worthy recipient.
According to the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award page on Facebook, the award is “presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession and the game of ice hockey during their broadcasting career. The award winners are selected by the NHL Broadcasters' Association.”
I would suggest that Ridley more than meets that criteria.
Failing that, he should be nominated for the Bus Drivers’ Hall of Fame.
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Peter Maher, the radio voice of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, recently called his 3,000th game. So he knows what that is all about.
But he can’t comprehend what Bob Ridley has done and continues to do.
"It's a real tribute to his stamina and his abilities to be able to travel as much as they do and broadcast all those games," Maher, who is a Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner, told Kristen Odland of the Calgary Herald.
"And driving the bus on top of all that? I can't comprehend doing what he's done.
"Pretty incredible."
Odland’s complete story is right here.
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The Portland Winterhawks have welcomed back Dean (Scooter) Vrooman as their director of corporate sponsorships. Vrooman was the radio voice of the Winterhawks for 25 seasons (1982-2007) before leaving the organization during its dog days prior the franchise being purchased by Bill Gallacher. Since then, Vrooman had been working with First Independent Bank in Vancouver, Wash. According to a news release, “In his new role, Vrooman will work with Rich Franklin and Garrett McFall to develop strong corporate partnerships for the organization.” . . . Vrooman is expected to make the occasional appearance on radio broadcasts; after all, his son, Todd, is the club play-by-play voice and broadcast communications manager.
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Medicine Hat Tigers G Tyler Bunz has had his impaired driving case move to Morinville, Alta., and put over to March 22. Bunz, whose NHL rights belong to the Edmonton Oilers, was to have been in court Monday in St. Albert, Alta., after being charged there in May 2011. Bunz, 21, was a fifth-round selection by the Oilers in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
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F Jordan Messier of the Tri-City Americans has been suspended for three games under supplemental discipline. He wasn’t penalized for whatever happened during a Saturday game against the Silvertips in Everett. Sometime after the game, the Silvertips requested supplemental discipline from the WHL office. . . . Messier began his suspension by sitting out Sunday’s 4-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland.
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The Everett Silvertips have signed D Michael Zipp to a WHL contract. Zipp, a fourth-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft, is in Everett working out with the team . . . A native of Edmonton, Zipp played for the midget AAA Canadian Athletic Club team. He had eight assists and 32 penalty minutes in 34 games.
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The 2013 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be played at the Halifax Metro Centre, home of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads, on January 16.
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From Elliotte Friedman’s highly popular weekly notes package, 30 Thoughts:
27. The Ontario Hockey League is going to have some kind of additional fighting penalty next season, but elimination of fisticuffs isn't going to happen. "I'm 99 per cent in favour of abolishing it, but I'm worried about 'the rat' taking over junior hockey," said one GM. Said another: "I don't hate fighting, I hate the bull (bleep) that comes with it." He's referring to staged fights, players taunting via social media and guys who can't do anything else.
28, The other thing they want to eliminate is fisticuffs after clean hits. Limiting the number of fighting majors a player can get during the season should cut down those kinds of brawls. Let's say the maximum is 10. Fight number 11 gets two games. Fight number 12 is four, and so on. You'd probably cut down on a lot of that.
29. Will the OHL do this on its own? Yes, if necessary. The WHL has little interest and the QMJHL is a tossup.
Friedman’s complete piece is right here.
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The Brandon Wheat Kings have added D Colton Waltz, 16, to their roster. He spent the season with the AJHL's Bonnyville Pontiacs. A third-round selection in the 2010 bantam draft, Waltz had 12 points, three of them goals, in 41 games with the Pontiacs. In five playoff games, he had a goal and an assist.
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According to the WHL’s weekly roster report, the Portland Winterhawks have added F Dominic Turgeon to their roster. The son of former NHLer Pierre Turgeon, Dominic was a third-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft and has signed a WHL contract. He is out of the Colorado Thunderbirds’ program.
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According to that same roster report, the Brandon Wheat Kings are without veteran G Brandon Anderson. The reason he is out is shown as “personal.” No further details are available although, as I understand it, Anderson is expected back within 10 days. . . . Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun reports that the Wheat Kings, who meet the Pats in Regina tonight, had F Tyrel Seaman (concussion) back at practice on Tuesday. Seaman was hurt Nov. 25, came back for one game after Christmas and hasn’t played since then. . . . Brandon F Kevin Sundher (concussion) has played one game since Feb. 14 and didn’t practise yesterday.
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees whipped the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters 10-0 on Tuesday for their 41st consecutive victory. That broke the Canadian junior record that had been shared by the Sudbury Wolves (1989-90) and the now-defunct Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats (1999-2000). . . . The victory also was the Vees’ 53rd of the season and that’s a BCHL record. . . . As the hockey gods would have it, last night’s victory came on the 57th anniversary of the biggest victory in Penticton hockey history. On the afternoon of March 6, 1955, the Vees beat Russia 5-0 in Krefeld, Germany, to win the world amateur championship.
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D Mike Hellyer (Prince Albert, 2003-07) has signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. Hellyer, a 25-year-old from Brandon, has spent the last four seasons with the U of Manitoba Bisons, whose season ended last weekend. Hellyer had 18 points in 26 games with the Bisons this season. In four seasons there, he had 82 points in 110 games.
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The Saskatoon Blades are scheduled to get their captain back tonight. D Duncan Siemens, who has missed 13 games with a concussion, should be in the lineup tonight as the Blades meet the Raiders in Prince Albert. . . . Siemens was injured on Feb. 4 on a hit from Medicine Hat Tigers F Brendan Hurley, who later drew a six-game suspension. . . . The Blades, who have lost four in a row and eight of 10, won just four of 13 games with Siemens sidelined.
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F Taylor Peters of the Portland Winterhawks, who knows his way around a keyboard, has seen the movie Goon and he offers up a player’s view right here.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Swift Current, F Adam Rossignol broke a 3-3 tie at 15:10 of the third period as the Broncos beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-3. . . . Rossignol, 18, played the first 39 games of this season with the Ice, before being traded to the Broncos. . . . He has eight goals this season, two in 28 games with Swift Current. . . . F Christian Magnus had two goals, giving him nine, and an assist and also was plus-4 for the Broncos. Magnus’s second goal gave the Broncos a 3-2 lead at 19:38 of the second. . . .. F Joe Antilla, with his 13th, tied it for the Ice at 12:04 of the third. . . . Broncos G Jon Groenheyde, named the CHL’s goaltender of the week earlier in the day, stopped 32 shots, two more than the Ice’s Nathan Lieuwen. . . . The Ice is fifth in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Calgary and just one up on Regina. . . .

In Lethbridge, F Phil Tot snapped a 1-1 tie at 11:19 of the third period to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 decision over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Lethbridge G Damien Ketlo turned aside 37 shots, 22 more than Moose Jaw’s Luke Siemens. . . . Tot has 14 goals this season. . . . F Russ Maxwell gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead at 19:28 of the second. . . . Moose Jaw F Cody Beach equalized at 4:04 of the third. . . . The result prevented Moose Jaw from clinching first place in the East Division. . . . The Warriors hold a 12-point lead over second-place Regina in the division. . . . Moose Jaw is six points behind the Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton Oil Kings. Each team has six games remaining. They are scheduled to meet tonight in Edmonton. . . .

In Red Deer, the Calgary Hitmen escaped with a 3-2 victory over the Rebels. . . . F Brady Brassart scored his 22nd goal at 9:53 of the second period to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. . . . F Chase Clayton stretched the lead with his 12th at 17::32 of the third. . . . D Mathew Dumba got his 19th at 19:55 of the third. . . . Calgary G Brandon Glover stopped 33 shots, seven fewer than Red Deer’s Deven Dubyk. . . . The Hitmen, who won for the 40th time this season, are fourth in the Eastern Conference and now are five points clear of Kootenay and just two behind Medicine Hat. . . . The Rebels are eight points out of the conference’s final playoff spot but have just six games left. . . . Red Deer got F Cory Millette back from injury but are still missing seven regular contributors. . . .

In Prince George, the Seattle Thunderbirds scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Cougars, 3-1. . . . F Austin Daae got the Cougars on the board with his second goal at 3:27 of the second. . . . The Thunderbirds then got second-period goals from D Brad Deagle, his third, and F Luke Lockhart, his 13th. . . . F Connor Sanvido finished it off with his seventh at 11:01 of the third. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 21 shots. . . . G Drew Owsley of the Cougars turned aside 23 shots. . . . Prince George F Alex Forsberg reteurned after an 11-game absence with an injury. . . . Cougars D Cody Carlson will play in his 300th game as the teams meet again tonight. . . . The Thunderbirds are ninth in the Western Conference, just one point behind Everett, which holds down the last playoff spot. . . . The loss hurts the Cougars’ chances. They are 10th, five points out of a playoff spot with six games remaining.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-TO-THE-HEAD COUNT:
None.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Eastern Conference:
Moose Jaw at Edmonton: The top two teams in the Eastern Conference meet. The Oil Kings have won five in a row.
Kootenay at Medicine Hat: The Ice is fifth, one point ahead of Regina. The Tigers are third, two points ahead of Calgary.
Saskatoon at Prince Albert: The Blades, who have lost four in a row and eight of 10, are one point ahead of Brandon.
Brandon at Regina: The Wheat Kings were in Regina on Saturday when the Pats erased a 4-0 deficit with the game’s last six goals. Brandon is eighth, three points behind Regina and one in back of Saskatoon. Regina F Jordan Weal has 109 points, the most by a Pats skater since Ronald Petrovicky put up 113 in 1997-98.
Western Conference:
Portland at Kamloops: The Winterhawks lead the overall standings by one point over Edmonton and Tri-City, and three on Kamloops, which has clinched the B.C. Division title.
Tri-City at Vancouver: The Americans are coming off a 4-3 victory in Portland on Sunday. The Giants are tied with Spokane for fourth; they will meet in the first round but don’t yet know who has home-ice advantage.,
Kelowna at Spokane: The Rockets took two from Kamloops on the weekend and know they will finish sixth. The Chiefs are 3-0-1 in their last four.
Victoria at Everett: The Royals, who are starting a four-game road trip with this one, are seventh, one point ahead of the Silvertips.
Seattle at Prince George: The Thunderbirds beat the Cougars 3-1 last night. Seattle is ninth, one point behind Everett and four up on Prince George.

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