Rebels take advantage of short-staffed Oil Kings, force tiebreaker

Helsingin Sanomat, the leading newspaper in Finland, reported Friday that Harry Harkimo has sold his 48.98 per cent share of the Jokerit Hockey Club to the Russians for 960 euros. That meant the club was valued at 1,960 euros at sale in October 2013. Official minutes from 2012 valued Jokerit at that time at 1.3 million euros.
Meanwhile, Helsingin Sanomat's parent company is suing Harkimo over the sale of the club and the arena, alleging that when he purchased the Jokerit and Arena shares from the paper, he failed to disclose why he was purchasing them.
As well, the EU has been talking about freezing all assets of Russian oligarchs as a response to Russia's annexation of Crimea. Two oligarchs, Gennady Timchenko and Arkady Rotenberg (Vladimir Putin's judo partner and childhood friend), bought the club and arena. Bloomberg reports that Rotenberg's construction company won contracts worth US$7.4 billion, for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, more than the entire 2010 Vancouver budget. The contract for construction of the road connecting Sochi with the mountain venues went to Russian Railways for $9 billion. Russian Railways subcontracted this out to SK Most, which is 25 per cent owned by Timchenko.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors’ two main hockey men will be back in 2014-15. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reported late Sunday, via Twitter, that general manager Alan Millar and head coach Mike Stothers, each of whom is believed to have one year left on his contract, were “given a vote of confidence by the MJ Warriors’ board.” . . . Gourlie also reported that assistant coach Mike Vandenberg won’t be back, as he leaves to focus on business interests. . . . According to Gourlie, assistant coach Mark O’Leary will be Stothers’ “main assistant coach” next season. . . . The Warriors (21-42-9) finished 10th in the 12-team Eastern Conference and missed the playoffs for a second straight season. . . . Millar has been with the Warriors through four seasons. Stothers just completed his third season as head coach.
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My, but that was an interesting situation that presented itself in Edmonton on Sunday.
The Red Deer Rebels were there to take on the Oil Kings in a game that the visitors absolutely had to win if they were to entertain any thoughts of making a playoff appearance.
A Red Deer victory would lift the Rebels into a tie for eighth place with the Prince Albert Raiders in the Eastern Conference, and that would necessitate a sudden-death game on Tuesday, with the winner of that game moving into the playoffs and the loser going home.
On Saturday night, the Oil Kings had visited Red Deer and skated to a 7-4 victory, clinching first place in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference in the process.
On Sunday, in a game that meant nothing to them and everything to Red Deer and Prince Albert, the Oil Kings scratched forwards Edgars Kulda, Curtis Lazar, Reid Petryk and Henrik Samuelsson, along with defenceman Griffin Reinhart and starting goaltender Tristan Jarry.
Perhaps predictably, the Rebels won the game, 5-0. The Raiders now will travel to Red Deer for that tiebreaker game on Tuesday.
After the game, Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal told the media:
“I didn’t sit anybody. We’ve got some guys with nagging injuries they have battled through, we’ve got some guys with sicknesses. We’re not going to push these guys to the limit and force them to play injured.
“We had to make sure that guys are rested, and we’ve got some guys with some injuries, and it’s been a long haul the last three weeks . . . so at the end of the day we did what’s right for our hockey club.”
In November 2012, the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs went on a six-game road trip that was to conclude in Miami with a game against the Heat. Following the fifth game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sent home Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green, meaning they didn’t play in Miami.
For that, the Spurs were fined $250,000.
David Stern, then the NBA commissioner, said the Spurs “did a disservice to the league and our fans.”
In a statement at the time, Stern said: “The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team’s only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans.”
Yes, comparing what goes on in the NBA to something that happens in the WHL is like basketballs to hockey pucks.
But you have to think it would behoove the WHL to have commissioner Ron Robison look into what went into Laxdal’s decision to scratch key players from his lineup for a game of such importance.
Yes, it’s touchy territory when a league office -- any sport, any league -- delves into player personnel decisions, especially when it might be construed as interfering with a coach’s roster decisions. But there is an issue of credibility at play here.
Let’s not forget that the game, billed as Fan Appreciation Night, drew 13,912 fans, the Oil Kings’ largest crowd of the season.
The headline above Swane’s story on the Sun’s website read: Edmonton Oil Kings shut out in meaningless season-ender with Red Deer Rebels.
Was it really meaningless to the Rebels, the Raiders and the fans?
Alicja Siekierska of the Edmonton Journal wrote: “Sunday’s uninspiring, often difficult-to-watch game was played in front of 13,912 spectators — the biggest crowd of the season — on what was, ironically, fan appreciation night. It’s doubtful many fans were appreciative of the effort the Oil Kings put forward.”
You can bet the Raiders weren’t appreciative either.
The Oil Kings, meanwhile, apparently are planning on travelling to Red Deer to watch Tuesday’s game.
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The Edmonton Sun's game story is right here.
The Edmonton Journal's game story is right here.
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F Mitch Holmberg of the Spokane Chiefs won the WHL scoring title, finishing with 118 points. He is the first Spokane player to finish on top since F Ray Whitney, who put up 185 points in 1990-91. . . . Holmberg also led the WHL in goals, with 62. The last Chiefs skater to do that was F Tyler Johnson, who scored 53 times in 2010-11. . . . There weren’t any 50-goal scorers last season. This season, there were three -- Holmberg, Portland Winterhawks F Oliver Bjorkstrand (50) and Prince George Cougars F Todd Fiddler (50). . . .
F Nic Petan of the Portland Winterhawks, who finished second in the scoring race with 113 points, led the league in assists, with 78. F Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice was next, with 69. . . .
Russian F Nikita Scherbak of the Saskatoon Blades led all freshmen in assists (50) and points (78). He and Brandon Wheat Kings F Rihards Bukarts, who is from Latvia, led all first-year players in goals, each with 28. . . . Russian F Ivan Nikolishin of the Everett Silvertips was second in points, with 59. . . .
Shea Theodore of the Seattle Thunderbirds was the highest-scoring defenceman, with 79 points, six more than Josh Morrissey of the Prince Albert Raiders. Morrissey led all defencemen in goals, with 28, while Theodore had 57 assists. . . .
The qualifying number for goaltenders was 1,440 minutes played. . . . Tristan Jarry of the Edmonton Oilers was No. 1 in GAA (2.24) and victories (44). Jordon Cooke of the Kelowna Rockets was next at 2.28 and 39. . . . Jarry and Patrik Bartosak of the Red Deer Rebels tied for the lead in shutouts, with eight. Bartosak put up No. 8 on Sunday, as the Rebels won 5-0 in Edmonton. Jarry wasn’t dressed for that one. . . . Coleman Vollrath of the Victoria Royals had the best save percentage (.928). . . . Bartosak led in appearances (65), one more than Jarry. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks had the highest-scoring offence, with 338 goals. . . . The top defence belonged to the Edmonton Oil Kings, who allowed 179 goals, two fewer than the Victoria Royals and three fewer than the Kelowna Rockets.
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So . . . what was decided on Sunday?
In the Western Conference, it took the skills competition in the regular-season’s final game before home-ice advantage in the No. 4 versus No. 5 series was decided. Oh, and did we mention that each of the goaltenders was a freshman in his first shootout? . . . The Portland Winterhawks beat the visiting Everett Silvertips, with the latter needing a victory to get home-ice advantage. Instead, it went to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who had beaten the host Tri-City Americans moments earlier. . . . Everett and Seattle will open in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night.
In the Eastern Conference, the Red Deer Rebels went into Edmonton and beat the Oil Kings 5-0 to force a tiebreaker for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Rebels will meet the Prince Albert Raiders in Red Deer on Tuesday, 7 p.m. The winner gets the Oil Kings in the first round of the playoffs with Game 1 on Saturday. . . . Why will the tiebreaker be played in Red Deer? Because the Rebels won three of four games in the season series.
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TUESDAY’S GAME (all times local):
Prince Albert at Red Deer, 7 p.m.
(Eastern Conference one-game tiebreaker; winner finishes eighth.)
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THE FIRST ROUND (best-of-seven):
Eastern Conference
Edmonton (1) vs. Prince Albert/Red Deer (8)
Regina (2) vs. Brandon (7)
Calgary (3) vs. Kootenay (6)
Medicine Hat (4) vs. Swift Current (5)
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Western Conference
Kelowna (1) vs. Tri-City (8)
Portland (2) vs. Vancouver (7)
Victoria (3) vs. Spokane (6)
Seattle (4) vs. Everett (5)
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
In Lethbridge, the Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s first four goals and went on to beat the Hurricanes, 6-2. . . . The game had been postponed from Friday due to water-related problems in Lethbridge. . . . F Curtis Valk scored his 47th goal for the Tigers, giving him career highs in goals and points (92). . . . D Connor Hobbs, who turned 17 on Jan. 4, scored his first WHL goal for the Tigers. From Saskatoon, he scored in his 10th game. . . . F Riley Sheen had a goal, his 19th, and an assist for the Hurricanes. . . .  Tigers G Nick Schneider stopped 24 shots as he improved his record to 6-0-0 since coming over from the Regina Pats in a swap. With the Tigers, the 16-year-old from Leduc, Alta., is 1.42, .943. . . . The Tigers had beaten the visiting Hurricanes 6-3 on Saturday. . . . The Tigers (44-24-4) are the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed and will meet the Swift Current Broncos in the first round. . . . Lethbridge (12-55-5) finished the season on a 14-game losing skid and with the poorest record in franchise history. Previously, the poorest season had been by the Winnipeg Jets, who were 16-42-10 (that’s 10 ties) in 1972-73. The poorest record in Lethbridge came in 1987-88 when the Hurricanes, in their first season there after moving from Calgary where they had been the Wranglers, went 20-48-4 (that’s four ties). . . . The Hurricanes, who wound up with 37 fewer points than last season, are out of the playoffs for a fifth straight season. . . .

In Edmonton, G Patrik Bartosak stopped 20 shots as the Red Deer Rebels beat the Oil Kings 5-0 to force a tiebreaker game for eight place in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Rebels and Prince Albert Raiders will meet in Red Deer on Tuesday night. The winner will go on to play the Oil Kings in the first round of the playoffs with the series opening in Edmonton on Saturday. . . . The WHL last had to go to a tiebreaker prior to the 2009 playoffs. The Oil Kings beat the Raiders 2-1 in OT in that one. F Rhett Rachinski won that one at 8:54 of OT. . . . Bartosak finished this season with seven shutouts; he has 13 in his career. He also is the Rebels’ career leader in saves,having passed Mike Whitney (1994-98) on Sunday. . . . F Rhyse Dieno had a goal, his 25th, and two assists for Red Deer, which opened the scoring at 1:25 of the first period when F Adam Musil got his 11th. He also had an assist. . . . F Wyatt Johnson and F Scott Feser also had a goal and an assist each. Johnson has 14 goals; Feser has 15. . . . Among the Oil Kings scratches were big guns Henrik Samuelsson, Curtis Lazar and Edgars Kulda, along with D Griffin Reinhart and starting G Tristan Jarry. . . . The Oil Kings had a three-game winning skein end. . . .

In Portland, F Nic Petan scored the deciding goal in the shootout as the Winterhawks beat the Everett Silvertips, 5-4. . . . Portland D Derrick Pouliot and Everett F Josh Winquist exchanged goals, before Petan won it in the fourth round. . . . Portland F Taylor Leier, who scored twice, forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 8:13 of the third period. He finished with 37 goals. . . . Petan had a goal, his 35th, and an assist. He finished with 113 points, five away from Spokane Chiefs F Mitch Holmberg, who won the scoring title. . . . Portland F Brendan Leipsic, who shared the scoring title with Petan last season, each with 120 points, finished with 91 points, including 39 goals. . . . The Winterhawks, who have won seven in a row, took a 2-0 lead into the second period, only to have Everett, which is 9-0-2 in its last 11, tie it. . . . Petan gave Portland the lead again at 11:47 of the second, but Everett got goals from D Matt Pufahl, his 15th, and F Josh Winquist to go out front, 4-3. . . . Winquist scored twice as he finished with 47 this season and 101 in his career. He also finished with 93 points this season, tying the franchise’s single-season record set by F Zach Hamill in 2006-07. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 17 shots. . . . Everett G Carter Hart, who came on for Austin Lotz after the first period, turned aside 30 shots through OT. . . . The Winterhawks (54-13-5) finished five points behind the Kelowna Rockets, who were atop the overall standings. Defending-champion Portland, which won 28 of its last 29 regular-season games, will meet the Vancouver Giants in the first round. . . . The Silvertips (39-23-10) had moved into fourth place in the conference on Saturday night, but the stay was short-lived. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., D Shea Theodore scored twice and added an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Tri-City Americans, 6-1. . . . Theodore set a franchise record for career goals by a defenceman when he scored his second of the season. That was the No. 45, one more than Deron Quint (1993-95). . . . Theodore scored 22 times this season. . . . Seattle F Mathew Barzal, the first overall selection in the 2012 bantam draft, had one assist. He finished his 16-year-old season with 54 points, including 14 goals, in 59 games. . . . The game featured two penalty shots, with Seattle F Branden Troock unsuccessful against Tri-City G Evan Sarthou in the second period and Tri-City F Parker Bowles unable to beat Seattle G Taran Kozun in the third. . . . Tri-City F Morgan Geekie, who is from Strathclair, Man., scored his first WHL goal in his first game. He signed with the Americans earlier in the week. . . . Seattle (41-25-6) and Everett have never met in the playoffs. Until now, that is. . . . The Americans (29-33-10) will face the Kelowna Rockets in the first round. . . . Following Sunday’s game, F  Donovan Neuls, an eight-round selection in the 2012 bantam draft, tweeted that he had signed with the Thunderbirds. Neuls, who turns 17 on Oct. 24, is from Melville, Sask. He played this season with the midget AAA Moose Jaw Generals.
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From Guy Flaming (@TPS_Guy): “Lots of roster changes (Sunday) for the Oil Kings; out: Samuelsson, Lazar, Petryk, Kulda, Jarry . . . I bet the Raiders of PA will be thrilled.”
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From the Kootenay Ice (@WHLKootenayICE): “Best fans in the world!!! At Friday night’s game you helped raise $3,581 for the Tim Bozon Trust Fund. @timbozon94 #kice #heartwarming”
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From Paul Kingsmith (@paulkingsmith): “#WHLCanes Coach Drake Berehowsky on his future: ‘If they have me back, they have me back. If not that's their decision.’ #YQL #WHL”
One more from Kingsmith: “#WHLCanes Berehowsky on if he wants to be back ‘Of course. It's a dream to coach in the WHL. We're moving in the right direction.’ #WHL #YQL”
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From Fred Jack (@FreddieJack643): “Been great to work with such a good man. Thanks for the 5 years @radiopat258.”
Jack was Pat Siedlecki’s analyst for Lethbridge Hurricanes home games on 94.1 CJOC. The team’s contract with the radio station is up.


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A little of this and some of that . . .
1. Most observers have the matchup they were hoping for as it’ll be the QMJHL-champion Halifax Mooseheads against the WHL-champion Portland Winterhawks in Sunday’s Memorial Cup final. . . . The Winterhawks advanced with a 2-1 victory over the OHL-champion London Knights on Friday night. . . . Sunday’s game starts at 5 p.m. That’s Saskatoon time.
2. I’m thinking that should Paul Brandt ever decide to quit his real job, he could get work as an anthem singer. If you aren’t aware, Brandt is a true Canadian hero thanks to all the charitable work he does and the work done by his Build It Forward Foundation.
3. Lorne Molleken, the general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades, will spend the next while pondering his future. He will be back next season, but will he return as head coach? . . . Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, who did such a bang-up job of covering the Blades through a difficult season, has that story right here.
4. There were at least some $20 tickets available for last night’s semifinal, and it seems there are some available for Sunday’s game, too. A friend from Regina sent me a note from the Saskatchewan Hockey Association. . . . “Let’s PACK the HOUSE” for the semifinal and final, it reads. “A limited number of $20 seats are available in the upper bowl.” . . . It also provided a link to Ticketmaster.
5. I don’t know if those $20 tickets had any impact on the gate, but attendance for last night’s semifinal was 9,161.
6. What thoughts were going through Saskatoon D Dalton Thrower’s head when he couldn’t play in the Blades’ 6-1 loss to London in Thursday night’s tiebreaker? . . . The aforementioned Daniel Nugent-Bowman has that story right here.
7. A postgame tweet from Portland freelancer Scott Sepich (@SSepich): “Ty Rattie after the game: ‘We aren't done yet. We're doing this for Portland, for Mike Johnston and everything that happened this year.’ ”
8. Sepich is in Saskatoon covering the tournament for The Oregonian. His complete story is right here.
9. The line of the night belongs to Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino. Late in the first period, Portland F Chase De Leo blocked a shot deep in his zone and was on the limp. Moments later, however, he was zipping up ice with the puck. “De Leo,” Cosentino said, “looked like he got touched by Oral Roberts when that puck came to his stick.”
10. If they are to win on Sunday, the Winterhawks are going to have to manage the puck better than they did last night. They had some shoddy moments in their zone and were bailed out by G Mac Carruth, who is back in the zone. . . . Only Carruth had more of an impact on the semifinal game than did Portland D Derrick Pouliot, who was terrific. Pouliot was plagued by a high ankle sprain during the regular season and played in only 44 games. You wonder if he’s feeling a bit fresher now, and perhaps his recovery time is a bit quicker, because of his time off the ice during the regular season.
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An email from one fan after Friday’s post:
“The prices you quoted are close to half the seats at a Winnipeg Jets game. My seats in the bottom row of the upper bowl behind the net go for 60 bucks. Remember, Jets tickets are among the highest in the NHL, and the Blade's owners attitude is that people should expect those kinds of prices, after all it is the Memorial Cup. I say, yes, but it is still junior hockey.”
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And this email from a fan in the Portland area:
“I'm a fan of hockey in general and I follow the Portland Winterhawks. I go to a few games a year, recently took my son to Game 5 of the final against Edmonton. Cost for two good seats in the lower bowl including service fees was under $70. Lots of families in attendance.
“If the Memorial Cup was held in Portland or another WHL city I would surely be tempted to get a tournament ticket package. I am a fan of hockey, having grown up in Ontario and played as a youth. But, at $600 to $800 a ticket package, how in the world would a family be able to afford that? Even one game in the least attractive seats is going to be a minimum of $150 for a family of four.
“I am not sure an average fan would shell out that kind of money, especially if the host team is not able to compete with the other three elite teams in the tourney.
“As for me, I am thrilled to have purchased a streaming package for all the games for $25 and have watched all the games live on my computer. Clearly many fans even in the host city would choose this option as the best bang for the buck.
“I say the Memorial Cup ticket prices should be the same as the host city's regular pricing structure. Fill that arena, and keep fans buzzing all week long about the amazing live hockey they get to see. It is appalling to see so many empty seats for such amazing hockey.”
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F Brendan Ranford, who set the Kamloops Blazers’ record for career regular-season games played this season, has signed a contract with the AHL’s Texas Stars.
Ranford, who completed his junior eligibility as a 20-year-old this season, signed a professional tryout deal (PTO) with the Stars and will attend their training camp. The Stars are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, who are owned by Blazers majority owner Tom Gaglardi.
Ranford had 87 points, including 65 assists, for the Blazers this season. He then added 20 points, 15 of them assists, in 15 playoff games.
The Edmonton native, who is a nephew of former NHL goaltender Bill Ranford, played in 348 regular-season games with the Blazers, finishing with 357 points, including 137 goals.
Ranford was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the seventh round of the 2010 NHL draft but wasn’t signed and became a free agent.
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Paul Danzer of The Columbian, a newspaper in Vancouver, Wash., reports that Edmonton Oil Kings F Trevor Cheek has “three torn oblique muscles and a partially torn trapezius muscle.” . . . Cheek was injured in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against the Calgary Hitmen and didn’t play again. . . . Danzer’s story is right here.
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Hockey Canada, which is holding its annual general meeting in Charlottetown, P.E.I., this weekend, has dropped head scout Kevin Prendergast and goaltender coach Ron Tugnutt. . . . Prendergast had been the head scout since September 2010. Since then, Canada placed second twice at the world junior championship, while also finishing third and, this year, fourth. . . . Tugnutt had been with Hockey Canada since 2011.
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THE COACHING GAME:
The Moose Jaw Warriors have re-signed assistant coaches Mike Vandenberghe and Mark O’Leary. . . . Vandenberghe is preparing for his third season on the Warriors’ coaching staff after joining them during 2010-11. He played with the Warriors in the late 1980s, and also has worked as an assistant coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . O’Leary joined the Warriors prior to last season. He had played in the OHL with the Mississauga IceDogs and Guelph Storm before going on to a five-year pro career. . . .

The USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks have fired head coach Jim McKenzie, who had one year left on a two-year contract. McKenzie joined the Lumberjacks during 2011-12, replacing the fired Kevin Patrick. . . . Muskegon was 32-23-10 this season, but was swept from the first round of the playoffs. . . . McKenzie played in the WHL with Moose Jaw (1984-88) and Victoria (1988-89).

Matt Kabayama, the associate coach with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, won’t be returning. The WHL team made that announcement on Friday. . . . Kabayama spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Hurricanes before being named associate coach prior to 2009-10. . . . The Hurricanes also are looking for a head coach, having fired Rich Preston in March. . . . The Hurricanes have yet to announced whether Chris Chisamore, an assistant coach who also works with goaltenders, will return. . . .

Jean-Guy Trudel has signed on as head coach of the Peoria Rivermen, who will debut next season in the Southern Professional Hockey League. Trudel signed a one-year contract that includesd a mutual option on a second season. . . . Kevin Tucker has a one-year contract as assistant coach. . . . Both are former Rivermen players. . . . Trudel has been coaching with the Peoria Mustangs of the NA3HL. . . . With Peoria no longer in the AHL, the Rivermen are preparing for their first season in the SPHL.

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No Kuvaev in Kootenay

F Alex Kuvaev’s stay on the Kootenay Ice’s roster was rather short.
Kuvaev, from Moscow, had 24 points in 58 games as a 17-year-old freshman with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season.
However, the Hurricanes dropped Kuvaev prior to the CHL’s 2011 import draft. A short while later, his rights were picked up by the Ice.
But word got out Wednesday that Kuvaev has signed with Dynamo Moscow so the Ice has dropped him off its list.
It turns out that Dynamo has acquired Kuvaev’s rights from HC Vityaz Chekhov, another KHL team, and signed him to a three-year contract.
Dynamo gave up F Nikita Dvurechensky in the exchange. He was part of the Russian team that won the 2011 World Junior Championship. He also played on the Russian team that won the 2010 Subway Series.
Of course, all of this means the Ice, the WHL’s defending champion, may end up playing another season without an import player on its roster.
“Don Cherry will once again be happy with the Kootenay Ice. LOL!” Ice president/GM Chynoweth told me via email.
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There is an interesting tidbit in a piece by Bill Meltzer of nhl.com on young import players and the decisions with which they are faced about where they should play. Deep in the story was a bit on German F Marcel Noebels, who put up 54 points in 66 games as a freshman with the Seattle Thunderbirds last season.
The Philadelphia Flyers selected Noebels, who played with the Krefeld Penguins in the German DEL in 2009-10, in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL draft. And now, it seems, Noebels, who had three points in 33 games with Krefeld, has received another offer from the German team.
"I will do whatever the Flyers want me to," Noebels told Meltzer during Philly’s development camp. "It would be great to play for Krefeld, but whatever helps my chances of playing in the NHL is what I'll do."
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THE COACHING GAME:
Mike Stothers is the new head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors. He signed a multi-year deal and was introduced on Wednesday. Stothers, 49, spent last season as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers. A former NHL defenceman who has been coaching since 1991, Stothers was the head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack for five seasons (2002-07). . . . The Warriors also re-signed assistant coach Mike Vandenberghe to a multi-year contract, while choosing not to excercise their option on Trevor Weisgerber, their other assistant coach. . . . Stothers replaces Dave Hunchak, who was fired following last season and has since signed on as associate coach with the Kamloops Blazers. . . .
The signing of Stothers means the Regina Pats are the only one of the WHL’s 22 teams without a head coach in place. It was speculated earlier in the week that they were close to signing former Kootenay Ice head coach Ryan McGill. That hasn’t happened, though, but the odds of it coming to pass may have increased Wednesday because the AHL’s Texas Stars named Jeff Pyle as their new head coach. Pyle had been head coach of the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators. . . . Pyle replaces Glen Gulutzan, now the head coach of the parent Dallas Stars. . . . Pyle had been the Gladiators’ director of hockey operations and head coach for eight seasons. . . .
The ECHL’s Alaska Aces, who won the Kelly Cup last season, have named Rob Murray as their new head coach. Murray, 44, spent the last eight seasons on the staff of the AHL’s Providence Bruins, the last three as head coach. . . . Murray replaces Brent Thompson (1988-91), who now is head coach of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who are affiliated with the New York Islanders. . . .
The Central league’s Bloomington Blaze has named Jason Christie (Saskatoon, 1986-90) as its head coach. . . . The Blaze used to be the Bloomington Prairie Thunder. Christie was the CHL’s coach of the year with the Prairie Thunder last season.
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Ken Schott of the Schenectady, N.Y., Daily Gazette writes that a goaltender who played 20 minutes for the Portland Winterhawks during an exhibition game has had his plans for a U.S. college gig altered. That piece is right here.
———F Tyler Redenbach, who won the WHL’s 2003-04 scoring title while with the Swift Current Broncos, has signed with EHC Olten, which plays in the Swiss National League B. Redenbach, 27, had 36 points, including 30 assists, in 43 games with Finnish team SaiPa Lappeenranta (SM-Liiga) last season. His season ended prematurely thanks to a hand injury. That was his second season with that club. Redenbach played in Denmark in 2008-09.

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

Friday's stuff . . .

Alan Millar, the director of hockey operations with the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Dave Hunchak, the team’s ex-head coach, have taken issue with something that appeared here on Friday.
That bit, which dealt with the Warriors’ decision not to renew Hunchak’s contract despite the club’s having won 40 games this season, included this bit:
“It also seems that Millar and Hunchak, 37, perhaps didn’t see eye-to-eye. That became obvious late in February when the two engaged in a morning yelling match deep in the bowels of the Crushed Can that was overheard by a handful of folks.”
A source had told me that the incident to which I referred occurred on Feb. 20, one day after the Warriors had dropped 3-2 decision tot he visiting Prince Albert Raiders.
“The information about Dave Hunchak and I having a screaming match . . . is completely false,” Millar told me Friday afternoon. “It never happened. . . . it’s completely not true. Never happened. . . . All my dealings with Dave, including my meeting (Thursday) morning with him, were always professional.”
As for my source, who indicated that at least two others had heard the dispute, Millar said: “they have their information wrong. They’re full of (bleep).
“I’m just telling you that it never happened. . . . I don’t really care about the date because I can honestly tell you it did not happen.”
Hunchak also said “that stuff never happened.”
Asked who it might have been, Hunchak said: “I have no idea. It wasn’t us. I guarantee it wasn’t us.
“We have never had an altercation like that. We never got into it . . . ever.”
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During our conversation, Millar also provided some information on the club’s two assistant coaches — Trevor Weisgerber and Mike Vandenberghe.
Millar said Weisgerber “had not been told he’s not coming back.”
The club holds an option on Weisgerber until July 15, while Vandenberghe’s contract expires on April 17.
Millar said both coaches “have been told there’s a process that we’re going to go through. They will get a strong recommendation from me to be part of the organization. I want to give the new head coach some flexibility in the hire. I’ve also told both of those guys that we understand other opportunities may come their way and we may lose them.”
Millar also said Vandenberghe “has some other things on the go to. I also think we’ll probably interview Mike for the head coaching job.”
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The hockey community in Spokane is mourning the death of Novelli (Nels) Venerus, who played for two Allan Cup winners in that city.
Steve Bergum of the Spokane Spokesman-Review has more right here.
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In the final game of the WHL’s regular season, Brandon Wheat Kings F Shayne Wiebe put a hit on Moose Jaw F Quinton Howden and found himself in a bout with Warriors D Dylan McIlrath.
McIlrath, a first-round pick by the New York Rangers in the NHL’s 2010 draft, has a three-year NHL contract in his pocket and is finishing the season with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale.
Wiebe signed an ATO (amateur tryout) deal with the Whale earlier this week.
So . . . guess who is rooming together with the Whale?
You got it.
“It’s kinda  funny,” Wiebe told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. “But he’s a really good guy.”
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Portland Winterhawks F Brad Ross has been handed one of those ‘tbd’ suspensions after he was hit with a charging major for a first-period check on F Zach Franko of the visiting Kelowna Rockets in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal on Thursday night.
Franko left the game and didn’t return. He is believed to have a concussion and is doubtful for Game 2 on Sunday. You can look for Ross to at least sit out Sunday’s game as well, and perhaps one more after that.
“He’s a hard-hitting guy,” Portland GM/head coach Mike Johnston told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune after Game 1. “Those type of players, that’s their job — to deliver hits and play physical. He never intended to catch (Franko) like that. He was coming in from the side and caught the guy leaning into his shot. At the NHL level, all those hits are under scrutiny nowadays.
“Brad is a key player for us. He played so well for us in the first series. You don’t want him to take a penalty like that, you don’t want a hit like that, but there’s a fine line. If the guy were turned one more step to the left, (Ross) would have been fine on that hit.”
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F Jonathan Parker of the Prince Albert Raiders has joined the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors for the remainder of the season. Parker, 19, is from Solana Beach, Calif. He had 86 points, including 45 goals, in 71 games with the Raiders this season. . . . F Tyler Johnson, the WHL’s second-leading scorer in the regular season, is expected to play tonight as his Spokane Chiefs open their series against the visiting Tri-City Americans. Johnson (concussion) missed the last two games of the Chiefs’ five-game victory over the Chilliwack Bruins. . . . F Ryan Stone (Brandon, 2001-05) set a franchise single-game record with five points Friday night to lead the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat to a 6-0 victory over the host Grand Rapids Griffins. Stone had two goals and three assists. G Leland Irving (Everett, 2003-08) stopped 27 shots for his 30th victory and eighth shutout of the season.
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ON THE ICE:
Yikes! What’s going on here? The visiting teams are 3-0 in the second round of the playoffs, and have outscored the home teams 18-3. . . .
In Saskatoon, G Nathan Lieuwen stopped 35 shots as the Kootenay Ice dropped the Blades 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. . . . Game 2 is in Saskatoon tonight. . . . The Blades had beaten the Ice four times as many meetings in the regular season. . . . F Matt Fraser scored twice for the Ice, the second into an empty net. He has seven goals in seven postseason games. . . . Ice F Kevin King scored his first goal of these playoffs, at 11:57 of the second period, to break a 1-1 tie. . . . The Ice was 2-for-5 on the PP; the Blades were 0-for-3. . . . Saskatoon G Steven Stanford stopped 29 shots. . . . Each member of the Blades’ big line — Curtis Hamilton, Brayden Schenn and Jake Trask — was minus-2. . . . Kootenay had F Sam Reinhart, the 15th pick in the 2010 bantam draft, in the lineup. . . . Attendance was 7,612. . . . The Ice had D Luke Paulsen (shoulder) back in the lineup after a six-week absence, but F Drew Czerwonka (upper body) was scratched. . . . Saskatoon remains without F Ryan Olsen (upper body). . . .
In Red Deer, F Linden Vey, the reigning WHL scoring champ, had two goals and two assists as the Medicine Hat Tigers skated to a 9-1 victory over the Rebels. . . . Game 2 in the Eastern Conference semifinal is scheduled for Red Deer tonight. . . . The Tigers, who finished 6-for-11 on the PP, scored three goals in the first half of the first period and never looked back. . . . D Matthew Konan had four assists for the visitors, while F Wacey Hamilton had a goal and three assists, D Jace Coyle was two and one, and F Emerseon Etem was one and two. . . . Medicine Hat G Tyler Bunz made a triumphant return with 36 saves. He missed his club’s last five games with a concussion. . . . Vey now has a WHL-leading 16 playoff points, two more than Kelowna Rockets F Shane McColgan. . . . Attendance was 5,926.
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FRIDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Saskatoon F Curtis Hamilton.
Red Deer F Brett Ferguson.

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

D Taylor Aronson, who was playing midget hockey with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings just two years ago, has signed a three-year deal with the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Aronson turns 19 on Thursday. . . . Aronson, now in his second season with the Portland Winterhawks, was selected by Nashville in the third round of the 2010 NHL draft. . . . According to CapGeek.com, Aronson’s contract calls for AHL salaries of US$60,000, $62,500 and $65,000, with the NHL salary at $600,000 each season. The signing bonus is $225,000, payable in three $75,000 segments. . . . Aronson was one of eight Winterhawks selected in the NHL’s 2010 draft.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have added Mike Vandenberghe to their coaching staff. Vandenberghe, who with his wife lives in Regina Beach, Sask., started this season as an interim assistant coach with the Brandon Wheat Kings, filling in for the injured Dwayne Gylywoychuk. A defenceman through a four-season WHL career with the Wheat Kings and Medicine Hat Tigers (he also played three games with the Warriors), Vandenberghe joins head coach Dave Hunchak and assistant Trevor Weisgerber with the Warriors. . . . Vandenberghe was with the Wheat Kings when they made their B.C. Division tour earlier this season. And guess what? Yes, the Warriors open a B.C. Division tour on Thursday against the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Warriors actually open the road trip tonight in Calgary against the Hitmen; this is the first of seven games in 12 days.
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Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald reports that the Moose Jaw Warriors have added D Matthew Franczyk, 17, to their roster. Franczyk, from Winnipeg, was a fifth-round pick by Moose Jaw in the 2008 bantam draft, but was dealt to the Swift Current Broncos for F Preston Amundson, 17, over the summer. Franczyk got into just one game with the Broncos before returning to Winnipeg and the MJHL’s Winnipeg South Blues. The Broncos dropped him from their list and the Warriors added him. . . . The Warriors are missing four players who are at Christmas tournaments -- F Quinton Howden (Canada) and F Antonin Honejsek (Czech Republic) are at the World Junior Championship; F Brayden Cuthbert and D Morgan Rielly are at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge -- so will add D Spencer Morse and F Brandon Potomak for games on their road trip. Both were second-round selections in the 2010 draft. Morse is playing with the minor midget AAA Calgary Blackhawks, while Potomak, from Aldergrove, B.C., plays at the Pursuit of Excellence academy in Kelowna.
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F Lyndon Martell, 17, has joined the Regina Pats. He had been with the BCHL’s Prince George Spruce Kings. The Pats acquired Martell, F Shayne Neigum and a 2011 third-round bantam pick from the Kamloops Blazers for F Thomas Frazee, 20, on Dec. 14. . . . In 17 games with the Spruce Kings, Martell had 14 points, including five goals.
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The Portland Winterhawks have three players at the World Junior Championsip -- F Ryan Johansen (Canada) and F Nino Niederreiter and F Sven Bartschi (both Switzerland -- and two (F Brendan Leipsic and D Darrick Pouliot) at the U1-7 World Hockey Challenge. . . . Portland has added F Brayden Low and F Adam Smith, a pair of 2009 bantam picks, to help fill out the roster. Low has 18 points in 27 games with the junior B Richmond, B.C., Sockeyes, while Smith had one point in 10 games with the BCHL’s Cowichan Valley Capitals.
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Hey, remember Craig Hartsburg, the head coach of the Everett Silvertips? If you do, you’ll recall that he had some heart surgery in November and has yet to return to the team’s bench. Nick Patterson of the Everett Herald reports that Hartsburg is progressing nicely and should be back early in January. . . . Patterson also reports that Everett will be without D Chad Suer (broken jaw) indefinitely. He was injured just before the Christmas break. . . . Also missing from Everett’s roster are D Rasmus Rissanen (Finland, World Junior Championship), D Nick Walters and F Jari Erricson (U-17 World Hockey Challenge), and F Campbell Elynuik (shoulder). . . . The Silvertips have added D Gabe Minville, 18, from the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and D Kieran Friesen, 18, from the junior B Princeton, B.C., Posse. . . . The Silvertips also have F Ryan Chynoweth, their top pick in the 2010 bantam draft (24^th overall), and he may get into a game or two. The son of Kootenay Ice president/GM Jeff Chynoweth, Ryan plays for the midget AAA Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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And, finally, a few words from Medicine Hat Tigers F Emerson Etem, who is with the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo. Sometime on Monday, Etem took time to tweet this:
“much needed day off, buffalo is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that”
Buffalo TV station WGRZ posted a three-paragraph story on its website that included that tweet. And the comments took off from there. You’ll find them right here and some of them are hilarious.

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Taking Note on Twitter
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca