Enjoying the company of local hockey legend Graham Tuer at today's @reginavics game @WHLPats pic.twitter.com/PSQs0PMoFZ— Jeff DeDekker (@ThePloughboy) October 23, 2016
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| MIKE WILLIAMSON (Photo: Tri-City Americans) |
Mike Williamson, the head coach of the Tri-City Americans, became the seventh member of the WHL’s 500 Club on Sunday.
Williamson posted his 500th regular-season coaching victory when the Americans beat the Vancouver Giants 5-4 in Langley, B.C.
The seven head coaches who have recorded at least 500 regular-season victories:
1. Ken Hodge (Edmonton, Portland), 742
x-2. Don Hay (Kamloops, Tri-City, Vancouver) 682
x-3. Don Nachbaur (Seattle, Tri-City, Spokane) 668
4. Lorne Molleken (Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina) 626
5. Ernie McLean (Estevan, New Westminster) 548
6. Pat Ginnell (Flin Flon, Victoria, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, New Westminster) 518
x-7. Mike Williamson (Portland, Calgary, Tri-City) 500
(x — active.)
Interestingly, Williamson played for the Portland Winterhawks when Hodge was the head coach. Williamson also began his coaching career in Portland as an assistant with Hodge.
There are two other active WHL head coaches with more than 400 victories.
Brent Sutter of the Red Deer Rebels has 418, with Marc Habscheid of the Prince Albert Raiders at 407.
Sutter got No. 418 on Saturday night, with a 3-1 victory over the visiting Raiders, to break a tie with Doug Sauter and move into 12th place on the all-time list. Next up for Sutter is Bob Lowes, at 453.
Habscheid is 16th on the all-time list, four victories behind Marcel Comeau.
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The air in Cranbrook is said to be abuzz with rumours involving the impending sale of the Kootenay Ice.
However, a source familiar with the situation indicates that it’s all abuzz about nothing.
The one thing that hasn’t changed: The Ice, which is owned by the Chynoweth family, remains
There has been recent buzz that an offer was received from True North Sports and Entertainment (TNSE), which owns the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg’s MTS Centre and the MTS Iceplex, which is an arena with four ice surfaces that often serves as a practice facility for the two teams.
However, TNSE has denied making a recent offer. Furthermore, Jeff Chynoweth, the Ice’s president and general manager, told Taking Note on Sunday that he hasn’t spoken with anyone from TNSE “about (our) team in over two years.”
Meanwhile, a group with local ties is believed to have expressed at least some interest, but isn’t thought to be anywhere close to purchasing the franchise.
The group apparently includes former Ice captain Colin Sinclair. He is a native of Brooks, Alta., who played five seasons with the Ice (1998-2003) and now makes his home in Cranbrook. Sinclair went on to attend the U of New Brunswick for four years, before playing three years of pro hockey, two of them in Norway. Along the way, he earned a business degree and an MBA. In Cranbrook, he is the controller and co-founder of Spartan Scaffolding.
The group also is said to include two former NHL defencemen — Robyn Regehr and Rhett Warrener — both of whom played in the WHL.
Regehr, 36, played three seasons (1996-99) with the Kamloops Blazers. He went on to play 1,090 regular-season games in the NHL, making stops with the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings. He retired after the 2014-15 season.
Warrener, 40, spent three seasons (1992-95) with the Saskatoon Blades before going on to a professional career that included 714 NHL games split between the Florida Panthers, Buffalo and the Calgary Flames.
Regehr signed contracts valued at more than US$30 million during his NHL career; Warrener’s figure was around $18 million.
The two were teammates in Calgary from 2003-08.
According to figures compiled by the WHL, the Ice has drawn 10,622 fans to six home games this season. That leaves it last in the 22-team league in attendance, with an average of 1,770. The Ice and Swift Current Broncos (1,942) are the only teams averaging under 2,000 fans per game in the early going.
Last season, the Ice finished with an average attendance of 1,957, the poorest in the league. That was down from 2,239 in 2014-15.
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As Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post points out, lease-related disputes between the Regina Pats and their landlord date back, at least, to 1986. That one was over a $1 parking fee that was institute by the Agridome landlord and, ultimately, led to the sale of the franchise. . . . In the latest chapter of what just might become a soap opera-type show, Michael Fougere, the major of Regina, tells Harder that his office won’t intervene in a dispute between the Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL) and the Pats’ owners, even though it could end up costing his city a chance to host the 2018 Memorial Cup. . . . Oh, and Regina is holding a civic election on Wednesday. . . . Harder’s latest story is right here.
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Got a tip or some information you feel could be useful to me, feel free to email me at greggdrinnan@gmail.com.
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When will @CityofRegina realize its not @WHLPats Pinders, Knight-Hicke-Gusway, Parkers or Queen City Sports Issues deep rooted in REAL Mgmt!— Brent Parker (@Patguy65) October 23, 2016
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:
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| IAN SCOTT |
At Calgary, the Prince Albert Raiders scored the game’s first three goals and went on to a 3-2 victory over the Hitmen, who held a 34-15 edge in shots on goal. . . . F Adam Kadlec’s first goal gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead at 8:57 of the first period and F Simon Stransky’s seventh goal upped that to 2-0 at 11:40. . . . F Luke Coleman’s third goal, at 6:28 of the second period, would prove to be the winner. . . . Calgary made it interesting on goals from F Taylor Sanheim, his first of the season, at 16:43 of the second period, and F Carsen Twarynski, his second, at 7:19 of the third. . . . Calgary F Andrei Grishakov had two assists. . . . The Raiders got 32 saves from G Ian Scott, a Calgary native, while Cody Porter of the Hitmen stopped 12 shots. . . . The Hitmen were 0-3 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-5. . . . Prince Albert (4-7-1) had lost its previous three games (0-2-1). . . . Calgary (3-5-1) now has lost five straight (0-4-1). . . . The Hitmen remain without injured D Jake Bean. . . . Announced attendance: 5,328.
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At Langley, B.C., the Tri-City Americans erased a 2-1 deficit with four second-period goals en route
to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Giants. . . . Tri-City, which was playing its third game in less than 48 hours, got 36 saves from G Beck Warm. . . . F Radovan Bondra’s eighth goal gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 4:19 of the first period. . . . Tri-City F Parker AuCoin tied it with his third goal, at 6:35. . . . Vancouver went back out front when F Tyler Benson scored 23 seconds into the second period. . . . The Americans then scored four times in 10:07. F Carson Focht got his first goal at 4:25, with D Parker Wotherspoon and D Dylan Coghlan scoring PP goals, at 7:21 and 10:23. . . . F Kyle Olson gave the visitors a 5-2 lead at 14:32. . . . Vancouver F James Malm got his guys to within two, on a PP, at 11:19 of the third period and F Johnny Wesley made it a one-goal game at 14:12. . . . AuCoin, Coghlan and Olson added an assist apiece. . . . F Thomas Foster, F Alec Baer and Bondra had two assists each for Vancouver. . . . G Ryan Kubic stopped 14 of 19 shots for the Giants, with David Tendeck coming on in relief to stop all nine shots he faced in 24:22. . . . Tri-City was 2-7 on the PP; Vancouver was 1-4. . . . The Americans (7-5-1) had lost their previous two games (0-1-1). . . . The Giants slipped to 6-9-0. . . . Announced attendance: 3,720.
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| BECK WARM |
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MONDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
No Games Scheduled.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES (all times local):
Brandon at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Victoria at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Spokane at Moose Jaw, 7 p.m.
Tri-City at Portland, 7 p.m.
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came out of the game with a 4-2 victory.
In the OHL, the Erie Otters, playing their first game without F Connor McDavid, dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Niagara IceDogs in St. Catharines, Ont. . . . McDavid, the OHL scoring leader, is out for up to six weeks with a broken hand suffered in a fight on Tuesday. . . . The Otters (16-2-1) have two regulation-time losses this season, both to the IceDogs (6-13-0), who have won four in a row. . . . Earlier in the day, the IceDogs acquired F Josh Ho-Sang, a first-round selection by the New York Islanders in the NHL’s 2014 draft, from the Windsor Spitfires. He had one assist last night.
In Prince Albert, F Brayden Point and F Tanner Eberle each scored twice and added an assist to lead the Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Raiders. . . . Point finished plus-5; Eberle was plus-1. . . . F Jack Rodewald had three assists and also was plus-5 for Moose Jaw (9-10-2). . . . Point and Eberle have 11 goals each. . . . Moose Jaw D Tyler Brown scored his third goal at 15:07 of the second period to break a 2-2 tie. . . . F Reid Gardiner scored his eighth goal of the season for the Raiders, who have lost four in a row. . . . The Raiders (8-13-0), who are in Swift Current tonight, are 2-4-0 since firing head coach Cory Clouston. They are 1-4-0 under new head coach Marc Habscheid. . . . Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald has a story 
In Regina, F Dryden Hunt scored three times to help the Pats to a 6-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers. . . . Hunt, who has nine goals, gave his side a 3-1 lead at 16:35 of the second period and 4-2 and 5-2 leads at 5:54 and 10:06 of the third. It was his first career hat trick. . . . Regina F Connor Gay helped out with his seventh goal and two assists. . . . The Pats are 10-9-1. . . . Regina G Daniel Wapple, who was acquired from Medicine Hat on Jan. 10, stopped 39 shots. . . . G Nick Schneider, who went the other way in that deal, turned aside 29 shots for the Tigers (14-4-1), who had a three-game winning streak snapped. . . . Schneider had been 11-0 with the Tigers, including 5-0 this season. . . . Each side was 2-for-9 on the PP. . . . Earlier in the week, the Pats brought back G Tyler Brown, 17, from the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues. He’ll back up Wapple, 19, while the Pats look for a junior A club where Tyler Fuhr, 19, will play. . . . The Pats are at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight. . . . 
In Brandon, F Keegan Kolesar, who is from Winnipeg, had a goal and two assists to spark the Seattle Thunderbirds in a 6-4 victory over the Wheat Kings. . . . Brandon (16-4-1) had won six in a row. . . . Seattle D Shea Theodore scored his first goal of the season to break a 3-3 tie at 7:21 of the third period. The goal came via the PP. . . . Theodore was playing his second game since being returned by the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. He had been with their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. . . . Kolesar, who had family on hand for this one, has six goals this season. . . .Seattle (9-8-3) is 2-2 on its East Division swing. . . . F Ryan Gropp scored his 10th goal for the Thunderbirds, while F Jesse Gabrielle got his 12th for Brandon. . . . Wheat Kings G Logan Thompson stopped 27 shots in his first home-ice start. . . . Seattle G Danny Mumaugh made 29 stops. . . . "I thought Seattle was better than our team in every regard," Brandon GM/head coach Kelly McCrimmon told Rob Henderson of the Brandon Sun. "Their work ethic was superior to ours, they were way more physical than we were. We were not engaged in the game fully at any point." . . . The Wheat Kings had D Ryan Pilon back after a four-game absence with an undisclosed injury. . . . Brandon D Kale Clague is out with an undisclosed injury suffered during the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. . . . The Eastern Conference’s top two teams, the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Wheat Kings, meet tonight in Brandon. . . . 
In Edmonton, D Ashton Sautner struck for three goals as the Oil Kings beat the Saskatoon Blades, 7-1. . . . Sautner, who has seven goals this season, is the first defenceman in the modern history of the Oil Kings to score three goals in a game. . . . According to a story on the Oil Kings’ website, Sautner had told his billet mom earlier in the day that he needed to get going offensively. “We were at breakfast and we were talking about how we were having a hard time scoring, and I said, ‘Maybe I could step up,’” said Sautner, who last recorded a hat trick as a 16-year-old in midget. “It just happened tonight was a good night.” . . . Edmonton G Patrick Dea stopped 26 shots, losing his shutout when F Cory Millette scored his fifth goal at 18:16 of the third. . . . Edmonton D Dysin Mayo, Sautner’s partner on the back end, scored twice, giving him four, and added two assists. . . . Oil Kings F Brett Pollock had two assists. He has three straight two-point games to his credit. . . . Edmonton now is 11-8-2, while the Blades slid to 6-14-0. . . . D Adam Henry (concussion) was back in Saskatoon’s lineup after a four-game absence. . . . Blades G Nik Amundrud, 17, has been out with a concussion since Oct. 31. When he returns, either Alex Moodie, 19, or Trevor Martin, 18, will be kept as the second goaltender. Martin, who stopped 24 shots last night, was brought back from the SJHL’s Melville Millionaires when Amundrud was injured. . . . The Blades decided earlier in the week that D Nolan Reid, 16, will stay on their roster. Reid, from Deer Valley, Sask., had been playing midget AAA at Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask., when he was brought up by the Blades to help them through some injuries. He has played well enough that the decision was made to keep him. . . . 
In Red Deer, the Rebels scored four third-period goals and beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 4-1. . . . The Hurricanes (5-11-4) took a 1-0 lead into the third period on F Zane Jones' 10th goal, at 3:07 of the third. . . . F Tyler Sandhu tied it at 4:16 and gave the Rebels the lead at 9:24. He's got seven goals. . . . F Grayson Pawlenchuk and F Wyatt Johnson each had two assists for Red Deer. . . . With referee Tyler Adair working solo, the Hurricanes didn't take any penalties in this one, while the Rebels took two minors. . . . The Rebels (10-8-3) have points in nine of their last 10 games. . . . Lethbridge is 0-2-3 in its last five. . . . The Rebels entertain the Saskatoon Blades tonight. . . . The Kootenay Ice visit Lethbridge tonight. . . .
In Cranbrook, F Luke Philp scored with 14.3 seconds left in OT to give the Kootenay Ice a wild 7-6 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. . . . Ice F Tim Bozon forced OT with a shorthanded goal at 17:52 of the third period. The Ice had been penalized for too many men as they tried to get G Wyatt Hoflin off the ice for the extra attacker. . . . Bozon has a goal in each of his last three games. . . . The Hitmen led 2-0 in the first period, trailed 3-2 in the second, and led 5-4 and 6-5 in the third. . . . Philp finished with two goals, giving him eight, and two assists. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart drew four assists, including one on the equalizer and another on the winner. . . . The Hitmen got two goals from F Taylor Sanheim, who has three. . . . Calgary spent the first 59 seconds of OT on the PP after Ice D Rinat Valiev was penalized for delay of game. . . . Kootenay (7-13-0) has won four in a row. . . . The Hitmen (10-8-3) have points in each of their last five games (3-0-2). . . . Taylor Rocca of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman has a game story 
In Kamloops, the Spokane Chiefs opened up a 4-0 lead and hung on for a 4-2 victory over the Blazers. . . . F Liam Stewart scored twice for the Chiefs. Playing a point on the PP, he scored both goals with the man advantage. He's got nine goals this season. . . . Chiefs F Kailer Yamamoto had a goal, his third, and an assist as he figured in the game's first two goals. . . . Spokane F Adam Helewka had two assists, both on the PP. . . . Spokane D Jason Fram, who was playing in his 200th regular-season game, picked up an assist to run his point streak to 11 games. He has two goals and 12 assists during that stretch. Only Swift Current F Coda Gordon, who takes a 12-game streak into a game against visiting Prince Albert tonight, has had a longer run this season. . . . The Chiefs were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-4. . . . Chiefs G Tyson Verhelst stopped 29 shots, 18 of those coming over the last two periods. . . . The Chiefs (9-6-3) moved into a tie with Kamloops for sixth in the Western Conference. Spokane is at home to the Tri-City Americans tonight. . . . The Blazers (9-10-3) have lost six in a row (0-4-2) and are in Everett tonight. . . .
In Prince George, F Rourke Chartier scored two more goals to help the Kelowna Rockets to a 6-3 victory over the Cougars. . . . Chartier, who has goals in nine straight games, leads the WHL with 22 goals. . . . He also had an assist, and now is tied for the WHL scoring lead with teammate Nick Merkley, who had one assist. Each has 37 points. . . . F Tyson Baillie also scored twice for Kelowna, giving him 15. . . . Chartier's second goal, at 10:15 of the third period, broke a 3-3 tie. Prince George F Aaron Boyd had tied the game with his first goal, shorthanded, at 8:42. . . . Kelowna G Jackson Whistle stopped 20 shots in earning his WHL-leading 16th victory. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Cougars (11-10-0) were 1-for-5. . . . Kelowna (19-1-1) is 9-0-1 in its last 10. . . . The teams meet again tonight in Prince George. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., F Beau McCue had a goal and three assists as the Tri-City Americans dropped the Victoria Royals, 4-1. . . . McCue, who enjoyed his first career four-point outing, scored the game's first goal and assisted on the next three, two of those by F Richard Nejezchleb. . . . McCue has nine goals; Nejezchleb has four. . . . Tri-City G Eric Comrie, who is 7-0-0 on home ice, stopped 24 shots. He lost the shutout when F Tyler Soy scored his fifth goal at 11:17 of the third. . . . Victoria G Coleman Vollrath stopped 31 shots. . . . Nejezchleb scored both goals on the PP as the Americans (13-9-0) went 2-for-6; the Royals (10-10-2) were 0-for-4. . . . Victoria F Brandon Magee had a nine-game point streak end. . . . The Royals are in Vancouver to face the Giants tonight. . . .
In Everett, the Silvertips scored two shootout goals and beat the Portland Winterhawks, 4-3. . . . F Ivan Nikolishin and F Graham Millar both scored for Everett in the shootout, while Portland’s first two shooters were blanked. . . . Nikolishin, who also drew two assists, had tied the game 3-3 with his sixth goal at 13:39 of the second. . . . The Winterhawks led 3-1 on F Paul Bittner’s eighth goal at 8:35 of the second. . . . Everett D Noah Juulsen got his second goal, from Nikolishin, at 9:43. . . . F Chase De Leo scored his 12th goal of the season for Portland (8-11-3). . . . D Layne Viveiros had two assists for Portland. . . . The Silvertips (13-2-3) are at home to Kamloops tonight and then will play in Portland on Sunday night.
The BCHL’s Penticton Vees announced Tuesday that they have received a commitment from F Tak Anholt, 16, for the 2015-16 season. . . . Anholt’s WHL rights belong to the Brandon Wheat Kings, who acquired them from the Lethbridge Hurricanes last week in the deal that involved F Reid Duke and D Macoy Erkamps also moving to the Wheat City. . . . Anholt is playing at Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, B.C. He has eight points, including six goals, in his first two games with the U-18 prep team. . . . Lethbridge selected him in the second round of the 2013 WHL bantam draft. . . . 
Williamson signed a four-year deal with no club options. He had spent the previous five seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, who chose not to pick up a club option when this season ended.
John LaFontaine (Nanaimo Islanders, 1982-83) is the new head coach of the NAHL’s Wichita Wildcats. He had been coaching the Shattuck St. Mary’s bantam team in Faribault, Minn. He also spent seven seasons as head coach of the Bozeman Icedogs, who played in the America West League and the NAHL while he was with them. . . . LaFontaine takes over from Paul Baxter (Winnipeg, 1973-74), who is president and general manager in Wichita.
Kevin McClelland, the head coach of the Central Hockey League’s Wichita Thunder, signed a one-year contract extension taking him through the 2015-16 season. . . . McClelland, 51, is preparing for his fifth season in Wichita, having signed with the Thunder on April 26, 2010. . . . The Thunder is 144-94-26 with him behind the bench. . . . McClelland’s resume includes a stint with the Prince Albert Raiders (1998-2000).
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