Tuesday . . .

Tri-City goaltender Drew Owsley kicks out a shot while Vancouver
forward Spencer Bennett looks for rebound on Tuesday night.
(Photo by CJ Relke)

THE MacBETH REPORT:
G Juha Metsola (Lethbridge, 2007-08) signed a three-year contract with Tappara Tampere (Finland SM-Liiga). Metsola had a 1.80 GAA and a .941 save percentage in six games with HPK Hämenlinna (Finland SM-Liiga); a 1.48 GAA and a .930 save percentage in two games on loan to Ilves Tampere (Finland SM-Liiga); and, a 3.05 GAA and a .907 save percentage in two games on loan to LeKi Lempäälä (Finland Mestis) this season.
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The debate on headshots and concussions in hockey isn’t going to go away. If anything, in fact, it is heating up.
Dr. Charles Tator, a prominent Canadian neurosurgeon, told a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday that the IIHF rules on hits to the head should be adapted by North American leagues.
“I’m optimistic that the big attention to this issue will pay big dividends,” Tator said. “We will save the game.”
James Christie of The Globe and Mail was at the news conference. His story is right here.
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Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette takes a hard look at the QMJHL and concussions, and wonders if the league is doing enough to curtail headshots. Guess what conclusion Hickey reached? That column is right here.
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The first head-coaching change of the WHL offseason has taken place in Kent, Wash., where the Seattle Thunderbirds dropped Rob Sumner on Tuesday.
Sumner had been part of the Thunderbirds organization for 15 years, the last seven as head coach. He took over from Dean Chynoweth for the 2004-05 season.
The Thunderbirds missed the playoffs in 2009-10, thanks to a 19-41-12 record. And they went 27-35-10 this season, missing the postseason again.
“It was a very difficult decision,” Russ Farwell, Seattle’s general manager and majority owner, told freelance writer Jim Riley, who covers the Thunderbirds for the Seattle Times. “I don’t think we got the most from our team. There were a lot of factors,  but unlike last (season) when we were young and not good enough, this (season) we were in the hunt and I thought we should still be playing at this point.”
If you’re wondering about candidates to replace Sumner, it’s really too early for that.
You can expect Seattle assistant coach Turner Stevenson to be in the pool of candidates.
Mike Caccioppoli of mynorthwest.com has a chat with Farwell right here.
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The Moose Jaw Warriors have signed a lease with the City for the use of the Multiplex that will replace the Civic Centre as the team’s home in the fall.
According to Carter Haydu of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald: “Under the five-year agreement, the Warriors will pay a base rent of $110,600 per season, or 10 per cent of gate revenues (whichever is greater). This is an increase from the current Civic Centre rental rate of approximately $47,000.”
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There were 5,063 fans in the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Monday as the host Brandon Wheat Kings beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 6-3 to take a 2-1 lead in that first-round series. According to the Wheat Kings, that “was the largest turnout for a Wheat Kings game at the MTS Centre.” The Wheat Kings have played 12 games there. . . . The Wheat Kings also report that “it also was the biggest crowd in Winnipeg since 7,042 turned out for Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinal against Prince Albert at the Winnipeg Arena.” . . . After seven seasons, the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs have decided not to renew the contract of head coach Darrell Mann. The Mustangs were 32-18-8 this season. Their season ended in a conference final when they were beaten by the La Ronge Ice Wolves. . . . The Everett Silverips will be without concussed forwards Clayton Cumiskey and Parker Stanfield tonight when they play host to Game 3 of their first-round series with the Portland Winterhawks. The Silvertips also are expected to continue to be without G Kent Simpson (ankle). . . . The WHL has hit Chilliwack Bruins F T.C. Cratsenberg with a two-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct he incurred in Game 2 of a series with the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday. . . . Medicine Hat Tigers F Hunter Shinkaruk won’t play Thursday in Game 4 against the Brandon Wheat Kings in Winnipeg. He is on one of those tbd suspensions. This one was issued under supplemental discipline for a hit on Brandon F Brenden Walker in Game 3 on Monday night.
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TUESDAY’S GAMES:
In Moose Jaw, G  Thomas Heemskerk put up his second shutout in three games as the Warriors beat the Kootenay Ice, 4-0. . . . Heemskerk stopped 28 shots. He had stopped 30 on Friday in a 4-0 Game 1 victory in Cranbrook. . . . The Warriors lead the series 2-1 with a fourth game in Moose Jaw tonight. . . . The Warriors took control on first-period goals by F Spencer Edwards, at 12:15 on a PP, and F Joey Kornelsen at 19:29. . . .  The Warriors were 2-for-5 on the PP; the Ice was 0-for-4. . . . Attendance was 2,714. . . . The Ice lost F Drew Czerwonka in the first period after he was hit by Moose Jaw D Joel Edmundson. Czerwonka didn’t return and his status for tonight isn’t known. . . .
In Prince George, the Kelowna Rockets erased a 5-3 deficit with four straight goals and hung on to beat the Cougars 7-6 . . . . The Rockets lead the series 3-0 and can wrap it up tonight in Prince George. . . . F Mitchell Callahan got the Cougars to within one at 18:45 of the second period and F Brett Bulmer, who is from Prince George, tied it just 13 seconds into the third. . . . F Shane McColgan, at 12:07, and Callahan, at 14:16 on a PP, gave the visitors a two-goal lead. . . . Prince George D Martin Marincin got his guys to within one at 19:23. . . . Attendance was 2,475. . . . The Cougars were without F Brett Connolly (separated shoulder). . . .
In Vancouver, F Adam Hughesman returned from a knee injury to score two goals and lead the Tri-City Americans to a 4-0 victory over the Giants. . . . The Americans get their first chance to wrap up the series tonight in Vancouver. . . . G Drew Owsley stopped 22 shots to earn the shutout. . . . Hughesman had 39 regular-season goals. He missed the last 12 games of the regular season and first two games of this series. . . . This is just the second time in their 10-year history that the Giants have trailed 3-0 in a playoff series. They were swept by the Kelowna Rockets in the first round in 2003. That ended Vancouver's second WHL season. . . . The Americans were 3-for-6 on the PP, which both of Hughesman’s goals coming with the man advantage. . . . The Giants were 0-for-4. . . . The Giants had F James Henry, their captain, back in the lineup. He also had been missing with a knee injury.
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TUESDAY’S CFB COUNT:
None.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
     
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If there were any WHL teams out there hoping to acquire D Zak Stebner, 20, on waivers, well, they waited too long.
Following the return of F Neal Prokop to their lineup on Nov. 24, the Tri-City Americans had two weeks to get down to the maximum of three 20-year-old players.
The choice general manager Bob Tory was faced with was to move one of Stebner, Prokop, D Tyler Schmidt or F Kruise Reddick.
Which one?

ZAK STEBNER

 In the end, it came down to Prokop, who is coming back from a badly broken leg suffered in the first round of last season’s playoffs, or Stebner, who was acquired Oct. 14 from the Calgary Hitmen for a third-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft. (At the time, a source has told me, the Kelowna Rockets had offered Calgary a fourth-round pick for Stebner.)
Late Tuesday afternoon, Kelowna got Stebner and a seventh-round pick in the 2011 bantam draft in exchange for two draft picks — a fourth-rounder in 2011 and an eight-rounder in 2012.
The Rockets, in effect, replaced the 2011 seventh-round they gave the Prince Albert Raiders last summer for D Brendon Wall, another 20-year-old.
Stebner’s arrival in Kelowna left the Rockets with four 20-year-olds, so they have released Wall. Stebner joins F Evan Bloodoff and F Geordie Wudrick as Kelowna’s 1990-born players.
Stebner is joining his sixth WHL team. He started with the Red Deer Rebels, who selected him with the 32nd pick of the 2005 bantam draft, before moving on to the Prince Albert Raiders, Kamloops Blazers, Calgary, Tri-City and now Kelowna.
“This makes Kelowna a lot better,” one GM told me last night.
Stebner, 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, had seven assists in 15 games with the Americans. In 233 regular season games, he has 87 points and 298 penalty minutes.
“I was surprised,” Stebner told Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier. “Obviously, we had four 20s, but it was still a shock. To get to a place, move in, then have to go to another place, it’s tough. But it’s good that I’m going to nice, sunny Kelowna.”
Stebner plans on driving to Kelowna from Kennewick, Wash., and hopes to play tonight against the visiting Swift Current Broncos.
“Kelowna is a first-class organization,” said Stebner, who played at Prospera Place a few times with Kamloops. “They have good fan support and it’ll be fun playing there. It’s a loud place to play in, a fun place to play in. I would imagine playing for the home teamwill be better.”
Tory said this was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make, and that he definitely was swayed by the grit Prokop has shown in coming back from a devastating injury.
“He showed that he can come back from it. It’s quite a story,” Tory said. “I felt loyalty to the guys who had been here.”

PAUL SOHOR

Before acquiring Stebner, Tory swung a one-for-one swap with the Everett Silvertips, giving up F Zach McPhee, 17, for D Paul Sohor, 19.
Sohor spent two seasons with the Silvertips but had seen his playing time dwindle and had asked for a trade. He was no longer with the Silvertips, who are on an East Division swing. He had six points in 109 games with Everett.
Sohor is from East St. Paul, Man., which is near Winnipeg, so Tory expects him to be a good fit on a roster that includes eight other Winnipeggers. Sohor was a fifth-round selection by Everett in the 2006 bantam draft.
McPhee, who is from Vernon, B.C., was a sixth-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft. He had one goal in eight games with Tri-City before being assigned to the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers.
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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Adrian Foster (Saskatoon, Brandon, 1999-2002) signed a one-month tryout contract with Örebro (Sweden Allsvenskan). He had two goals and two assists in 10 games with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL) and one assist in nine games with the Frankfurt Lions (Germany DEL) last season. Foster was in training camp with the Florida Panthers (NHL) earlier this season.
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USA Hockey announced the preliminary roster for its national junior team on Tuesday and it included two WHL players — F Emerson Etem of the Medicine Hat Tigers and F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan of the Kelowna Rockets. All told, 29 players were invited to the camp that opens Dec. 16 in Troy, N.Y.
Callahan found out he would be on the list when he received a phone call from GM Jim Johansson on Sunday.
“I was pretty ecstatic,” Callahan told the Kelowna Daily Courier’s Doyle Potenteau. “The world junior is somethign special. Every kid dreams of playing in the world junior for their country. Even just to get a shot at making the team is pretty special to me.”
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The Edmonton Oil Kings have recalled F Curtis Lazar, 15, for two games. Lazar, who was the second overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft, is expected to play tonight against the Hitmen in Calgary and on Saturday against the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Lazar, who is from Vernon, B.C., has 33 points in 24 games with the Penticton-based Okanagan Hockey Academy’s prep team. . . . F Kyle Calder (Regina, Kamloops, 1995-99) has signed with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Calder, 31, helped the Condors get to the second round of the playoffs last season. He had six points in five regular-season games and added 10 in 10 playoff games. . . . The WHL's Christmas trade moratorium runs Dec. 15-27.
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Some highlights from Tuesday’s WHL games:
In Chilliwack, F Cody Eakin scored three times to lead the Swift Current Broncos to a 5-4 victory over the Bruins. . . . The game had a 10:30 a.m. start time as the Bruins ran a promotion involving school children. Attendance was 4,450. . . . Eakin has 15 goals. . . . The Broncos led this one 3-0 midway through the first period and the Bruins never got back on equal ground. . . . F Ryan Howse got his 20th goal of the season for Chilliwack. . . . Eakin also had an assist. . . . Swift Current D Reece Scarlett had two assists. . . . The Broncos meet the Rockets in Kelowna tonight. . . . Eakin has three regular-season hat tricks, one in each of the last three seasons. . . .
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In Regina, the Everett Silvertips opened up a 3-0 lead with three second-period goals and went on to beat the Pats, 3-2. . . . F Kellan Tochkin’s 15th goal ended up as the winner. He scored at 16:36 of the second on the PP. . . . Everett D Ryan Murray, playing in front of family and hometown friends, drew an assist on Tochkin’s goal. . . . F Jordan Weal got his 13th goal for the Pats. . . . Among the Pats’ scratches was F Thomas Frazee (knee). The Pats say he will be out indefinitely. . . . Attendance was 3,891. . . . Regina is at 8-17-5 with four of those victories over the Swift Current Broncos. . . .
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In Lethbridge, F Cam Braes scored four times to help the Hurricanes to a 7-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Braes, who scored 25 goals last season, has 11 this season. He had one three-goal game last season. . . . Lethbridge F Brody Sutter had three assists. . . . Lethbridge got two goals from F Jacob Berglund and two assists from each of D Cason Machacek, F Mitch Maxwell and F Austin Fyten. . . . D Collin Bowman scored twice for Moose Jaw, while F Quinton Howden got No. 18. . . . Lethbridge took a 4-0 lead at 10:48 of the second period with a third straight PP goal. . . . Attendance was 2,374. . . .
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At Vancouver, G Mark Segal stopped 31 shots as the Giants dumped the Kamloops Blazers, 3-0. . . . Segal has two shutouts this season and six in his career. . . . F Matt Bellerive, who turned 16 on Tuesday, scored the game’s first goal at 17:19 of the first period. It was his third goal of the season. . . . The Giants have recorded two shutouts this season; this was the first time the Blazers have been blanked. . . . Attendance was 5,481. . . . The Giants, who have had far more than their share of injuries already this season, lost D David Musil early in the second period after he stopped a Chase Schaber shot with his right foot. Musil was to undergo X-rays last night. “”We'll see where he's at (today) but he's pretty sore,” Vancouver head coach Don Hay told Elliott Pap of hte Vancouver Sun.
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At Prince George, G Steven Stanford stopped 29 shots as the Saskatoon Blades blanked the Cougars 3-0. . . . That was Stanford’s first shutout this season and the third of his career. . . . F Brent Benson had a goal and an assist, including the game’s first goal, at 5:47 of the second period. . . . This was the first time Prince George has been shut out this season, while the Blades have put up two blank jobs. . . . Saskatoon went 4-1-0 on its B.C. Division swing, losing only to the Rockets in Kelowna. . . . Attendance was 1,663, a figure the Prince George Citizen reports is a franchise-record low. . . . The start of the game was delayed slightly by a shattered pane of glass. The CN Centre also had a pane shattered during the morning skate.
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TUESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
None.

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Taking Note on Twitter

Parkers fold team

Lindy Ruff, who played with the Lethbridge Broncos (1976-79), coached his 1,000th NHL game Wednesday night, as his Buffalo Sabres got past the host New Jersey Devils 5-4 in a shootout.
Ruff is the 18th head coach in NHL history to get to No. 1,000. Ruff, Al Arbour (1,500 games with the New York Islanders) and Billy Reay (1,012 with the Chicago Blackhawks) are the only head coaches to get there with just one team.
Ruff was hired to replace Ted Nolan. Since Ruff began in Buffalo with the start of the 1997-98 season, there have been 155 coaching changes in the NHL.
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After two seasons in the Golden Baseball League, the Victoria Seals have ceased operations, effective immediately.
A notice on the team’s website cites “restrictive conditions of the current lease with the City of Victoria along with the unstable state of the Golden Baseball League.”
The Seals, who operated in Victoria for two seasons, were owned by Regina Pats owner Russ Parker and his son, Darren, who served as the team’s president.
“Despite expressing continuous concerns over the current lease agreement at out-dated Royal Athletic Park, the Seals were unable to find an agreement with the City that would address several alarming issues with the operation of a professional baseball team,” the notice reads. “Specifically, the poor field conditions, lack of a permanent outfield fence, unreasonable concession agreement and strained relationship with management at the current facility.
“In addition, the current uncertainty surrounding the makeup of the GBL and the financially demanding geographic layout of the league put added stress on the organization.”
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F Brayden Schenn, who has played eight games with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, is expected to be a healthy scratch tonight for the third straight game. The Kings are to play the visiting Dallas Stars tonight. And there are starting to be whispers that he will be returned to the Brandon Wheat Kings. Schenn, 19, was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NHL draft. . . . Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times has more right here. . . . The Prince Albert Raiders are celebrating their 40th anniversary and will have the Centennial Cup and the Memorial Cup in the Art Hauser Centre on Dec. 11. Before joining the WHL, the Raiders all but owned the Centennial Cup, which went to the national junior A champion, winning it in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982. They joined the WHL for 1982-83 and won the Memorial Cup in 1985. . . . Kamloops Blazers D Josh Caron was back skating Wednesday for the first time since suffering a broken collarbone on Sept. 25. He hopes to see game action before month’s end. . . .
The injury-stricken Swift Current Broncos brought in two players for Tuesday’s game with the visiting Portland Winterhawks. The Broncos had D Tanner Clark and F Zac MacKay in the lineup. Clark, 17, is with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos, while MacKay, 15, is with the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires. . . . The Broncos also have lost F Andrew Sullivan, an 18-year-old from Calgary who had three points and 82 penalty minutes in 79 career games. Sullivan, who was a seventh-round bantam pick in 2007, has left the team and returned home. . . . The Prince George Cougars announced Wednesday that D Dan Hamhuis of the Vancouver Canucks will serve as Team WHL’s honourary captain next week when the Subway Super Series wraps up at the CN Centre. Hamhuis, who is from Smithers, B.C., played 247 regular-season with the Cougars and is their all-time leading scorer among defencemen. . . . The touring Russian team will play Team WHL in Kamloops on Nov. 17 and in Prince George on Nov. 18. . . . The Russians are 2-0, having swept the first two games from QMJHL teams. . . . The last time the Russians swept two games from one league in this series? That was in 2004 when the Russians beat the QMJHL twice by 4-3 scores, in Quebec City and Montreal. . . .
The visiting Seattle Thunderbirds got a goal and two assists from each of F Colin Jacobs and F Luke Lockhart in beating the Prince Albert Raiders, 5-2. Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 27 shots. . . . Lockhart has four goals and two assists over his last two games. . . . The Thunderbirds, who have won two in a row, are 2-1-1 on their East Division swing; the Raiders have lost 9 of 10. . . . In Regina, the Portland Winterhawks worked overtime to run their winning streak to 10 games. F Brad Ross scored his ninth goal of the season at 1:06 of OT to give the visitors a 5-4 victory over the Pats. . . . The goal originally was credited to F Ryan Johansen, who scored the game’s first goal, his eighth. . . . Portland F Sven Bartschi scored his 14th goal to run his points streak to 13 games. . . . Portland F Riley Boychuk forced OT with his second goal of the game at 17:00 of the third period. . . . F Spencer Bennett had three assists for the winners. . . . Portland G Mac Carruth stopped 33 shots and now is 9-1. . . . F Thomas Frazee, taken 11th overall by Portland in the 2005 bantam draft, had a goal and two assists for Regina. . . . Portland was without F Oliver Gabriel, who was injured Tuesday in Swift Current. . . . The Winterhawks continue their trip in Saskatoon against the Blades on Friday night. . . . The Blades will be wearing their denim-look jerseys, with Shannon Tweed and some guy named Gene Simmons in attendance. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen erased a three-goal deficit but lost 5-4 in OT to the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. The WHL’s defending champions now have lost 10 straight games. . . . Lethbridge F Mitch Maxwell got the winner on the PP at 1:20 of extra time. Calgary F Kris Foucault, who forced OT with a PP goal at 7:44 of the third, was off for high-sticking when the winner was scored. . . . Lethbridge got two goals from F Alex Kuvaev, a goal and two assist form F Graham Hood, and three assists from F Michael Sofillas. . . . G Adam Brown stopped 26 shots, including all nine he faced in the third period, as the host Kelowna Rockets edged the Edmonton Oil Kings, 2-1. D Tyson Barrie broke a 1-1 tie on the PP at 14:49 of the second period. . . . The Rockets, who not that long ago had a near-empty bandwagon, now have won five in a row and it’s filling up fast. The Rockets now are eighth in the Western Conference, a point up on the Spokane Chiefs and Everett Silvertips, both of whom hold two games in hand. . . . Kelowna F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan had one assist, giving him 13 points during the five-game winning streak. . . . The Red Deer Rebels went to a shootout for the first time this season and lost 3-2 to the Giants in Vancouver. The loser point was enough to lift the Rebels into first place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the idle Saskatoon Blades. . . . The shootout went 14 shooters, with Vancouver freshman F Matt Bellerive, who turns 16 on Dec. 7, getting the winner. Bellerive played sparingly and had had just one shift in the third period. . . . Red Deer F Byron Froese, with his 11th, and F Dalton Siwak erased a 2-0 deficit with goals at 11:42 and 12:33 of the third period. . . . Four of the WHL’s top four scorers were in the game. Craig Cunningham (38 points) and Brendan Gallagher (31) of the Giants and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (30) and Byron Froese (30) of the Rebels combined for one point, that being Froese’s goal. . . . Cunningham played in his 280th regular-season game with the Giants, tying the franchise record held by F Mitch Bartley. Cunningham will break the record this afternoon when the Giants meet the Bruins in Chilliwack. Game time is 2 p.m.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
Two minors:
Red Deer D Aaron Borejko
Vancouver D Luke Fenske

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Necklaces in play at the Crushed Can

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Martin Hohenberger (Victoria/Prince George, Lethbridge, 1993-97) has come out of retirement to sign a one-year contract with ATSE Graz (Austria Nationalliga). Hohenberger also is the assistant coach for ATSE. . . . Hohenberger was the first overall pick in the WHL's 1993 draft, taken by the Vicoria Cougars. . . .
F Zdenek Blatny (Seattle, Kootenay, 1998-2001) signed a four-game tryout contract with the Hannover Indians (Germany 2.Bundesliga). He had seven goals and eight assists in 50 games for Liberec (Czech Republic Extraliga) last season.
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CH-CH-CHING: The host Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos engaged in some fisticuffs on Friday night. The Broncos won the game, 5-1, but the late-game line brawl cost each team in the pocketbook. The Raiders got touched for $500 because it was their second such incident this season. It was the first line brawl for the Broncos so only cost them $250.
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THE WHL AND JEWELLERY: Matthew Gourlie of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald posted his on his blog after the Warriors had beaten the visiting Regina Pats on Saturday night . . .
“Call it the game within the game . . . with 2:58 left in a 5-3 game, the Warriors iced the puck. (Moose Jaw head coach Dave) Hunchak had already used his timeout and had no way of changing his tired skaters. The Pats put out their top line of Jordan Weal, Carter Ashton and Garrett Mitchell. However, Hunchak had taken note of the fact that Ashton and Weal were both wearing chains around their necks. That goes against WHL rules. Hunchak called over referee Devin Klein, pointed out the jewellery and as a result, two-thirds of the Pats top line had to leave the ice for a crucial offensive zone faceoff.
“That shift ended with the three-fight altercation that put the Warriors on the power play and effectively ended the game.”
By the way, that blog is right here.
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JUST NOTES: G Jacob DeSerres stopped 13 of 15 shots over two periods Friday as the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs scored a 7-2 victory over the visiting Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. DeSerres left after the second period with a groin pull. You’ll recall that DeSerres lost out in the 20-year-old game as the Brandon Wheat Kings released him. He cleared WHL waivers and joined the Sea Dogs in mid-October. Yes, he is still wearing his Wheat Kings-coloured goal pads. . . . (It actually was a reunion of sorts. G Andrew Hayes, another 20-year-old who was waived by Brandon, is with the Screaming Eagles but he backed up in this one.) . . . That victory left the Sea Dogs at 16-3-1, including 9-0-0 at home. It also put them in first place overall, a point ahead of the Quebec Remparts. . . . DeSerres was on the bench Saturday as the Sea Dogs were beaten at home, 4-3 in a shootout, by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. . . . The Remparts lost 3-2 to the visiting Montreal Juniors on Saturday, so the Sea Dogs were left in first place. . . .
The WHL’s player of the week is F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan of the Kelowna Rockets. Actually, the WHL won’t made a decision until Monday. However, Callahan put up 12 points as the Rockets went 4-0-0, winning four straight games from B.C. Division opponents. On Saturday, Callahan had a goal and two assists as the host Rockets dumped the Chilliwack Bruins, 9-3. Kelowna D Tyson Barrie helped out with a goal and three assists, while G Geordie Wudrick scored three times in the 296th regular-season game of his career. . . . The Bruins tied a franchise record for most goals-against in a regular-season game. . . . Brandon D Darren Bestland and D Ryley Miller each was plus-3 as the Wheat Kings beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 3-2. This was Seattle’s first game on an East Division swing. . . . Seattle G Calvin Pickard stopped 37 shots. . . .
The Calgary Hitmen, the WHL’s defending champions, saw their losing streak reach nine games as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook. . . . Kootenay lost F Drew Czerwonka (right shoulder) in the first period. He is questionable for the rematch in Calgary on Thursday. . . . Ice G Nathan Lieuwen already had shut out the Hitmen twice this season. . . . D Collin Bowman had three assists to lead the host Moose Jaw Warriors to a 5-3 victory over the Regina Pats, who blew a 3-0 first-period lead by giving up four goals before the frame ended. The Warriors had won 3-1 in Regina on Friday night. . . . The Crushed Can also was home to a third-period line brawl. There were six fighting majors handed out. . . . Ch-ch-ching!!! . . . There were 2,830 fans in the 2,705-seat Crushed Can. . . . The Warriors also got two goals and an assist from F Brendan Rowinski, 20, who was playing his first game since having offseason knee surgery. The Warriors now have two weeks to declare their three 20-year-olds. They also are carrying G Thomas Heemskerk, F Dylan Hood and F Spencer Edwards. Hood was the odd-man out in this one. . . .
The Lethbridge Hurricanes scored three goals in a 4:13 stretch of the third period to erase a 4-2 deficit and beat the visiting Kamloops Blazers, 5-4. The first two of those goals came via the PP. The Blazers, who had a six-game road winning streak snapped, got three goals from F Brendan Ranford. He has 17 goals but has yet to be named to the WHL team that will a touring Russian side in Kamloops on Nov. 17. . . . Kamloops F Jordan DePape had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped but did get three assists. . . . In Portland, the Winterhawks scored the game’s last two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips. F Brad Ross broke a 2-2 tie at 16:38 of the third period and F Ryan Johansen added an empty-netter. Portland forwards Ty Rattie and Sven Bartschi both extended their point streaks to 10 games. . . . Portland has won eight in a row, the franchise’s longest run of success it won 15 in a row in 1997-98. . . . The Winterhawks open a six-game East Division swing in Swift Current on Tuesday. . . .
G Jon Groenheyde stopped 32 shots in his first with Edmonton and the Oil Kings stopped a nine-game losing skid with a 7-3 victory over the Cougars 7-3 in Prince George. F Jordan Hickmott had two goals for the Oil Kings, who lost 6-3 to the Cougars on Friday. . . . The Spokane Chiefs unleashed a 50-shot barrage at Swift Current G Adam Smith and beat the host Broncos, 3-1. The Chiefs went 3-2-1 on their East Division swing. . . . In Richland, Wash., F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and set up another while F Byron Froese was one and two, leading the Red Deer Rebels to a 5-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. F Kruise Reddick, the Americans’ captain, returned after being out since Oct. 9 with a concussion.
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CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT FOR SATURDAY:
Minors:
Calgary F Trevor Cheek
Calgary F Rob Trzonkowski

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An interesting scouting day . . .

I mentioned here yesterday a Monday game in the OHL — Kingston at Ottawa — that began at 10:30 a.m., and attracted 9,826 fans, many of whom were schoolchildren.
Well, it seems OHL’s Oshawa Generals played host to a day game on Tuesday, this one against the Mississauga IceDogs. It began at 11 a.m., and attendance was announced at 3,568.
It did result in something of an interesting day for Steve Bowman, who scouts for the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
Bowman sent me this note:
“The 11 a.m. start in Oshawa allowed me to complete what I think is a first in the scouting community: Mississauga at Oshawa at 11 a.m., and Spokane at Saskatoon at 7 p.m.
“It was a ‘Perfect Storm’ of scheduling. Happened to be starting a WHL swing this week, morning game near Toronto, direct flight to Saskatoon in the late afternoon, games with draft prospects, and proximity of the airport to the rink.”
Steve writes that he arrived in Saskatoon at 6:10 p.m., so had 50 minutes until game time.
What I'm wondering, Steve, is whether you saw the end of either of those games. LOL!
I’m also told that Mississauga has one of these games scheduled on Nov. 10 when the Niagara IceDogs are to visit the St. Michael’s Majors. That game is to start at 11 a.m.
An NHL scout could watch that game and perhaps get to Vancouver in time to watch the Giants play host to the Red Deer Rebels that night.
By the way, I was reminded that the Edmonton Oil Kings had a weekday promotion last season in which they played a day game. The poster noted there was a “decent crowd with 60 per cent-plus of school-aged variety.”
A look back shows that the Kootenay Ice beat the host Oil Kings 4-2 in front of 9,168 fans in a game with an 11:30 a.m. faceoff.
And a quick check of this season's schedule shows that the Kootenay Ice will meet the Oil Kings in Edmonton on Wednesday, Jan. 12, with faceoff set for 11:30 a.m.
So apologies to Bob Green and the gang with the Oil Kings.
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Elliott Pap of the Vancouver Sun reports that Vancouver Giants F Randy McNaught, who is out with a sprained ankle, “suffered a setback in practice this week and is again out indefinitely. He was on crutches Wednesday.” . . . Pap also writes that Giants head coach Don Hay is doing his best not to play up what certainly would appear to be a goaltending controversy. Brendan Jensen has started seven of the last 10 games and will get the call Friday against the visiting Kelowna Rockets. But Hay won’t go so far as to say Jensen is the club’s No. 1 goaltender. Pap’s piece is right here.
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F Kruise Reddick should be back in the Tri-City Americans’ lineup on Saturday when they play host to the Red Deer Rebels. He’s been out since Oct. 9 with a concussion. Reddick has missed eight games. . . . F Charles Inglis of the Prince George Cougars has been added to the Team WHL roster for the Subway Super Series game scheduled for Nov. 18. That game, against a touring Russian side, is to be played in Prince George. When the roster was announced, it only featured 11 players so this completes the roster. . . . Hello, Hockey Canada or WHL or CHL or Rogers Sportsnet or the Kremlin, or whomever it is who picks these teams. When does Kamloops Blazers F Brendan Ranford get named to the WHL team that will play the Russians in Kamloops on Nov. 17?
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WEDNESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
SPOKANE 2 at PRINCE ALBERT 5: F Mark McNeill scored two goals and set up another for the Raiders (6-8-4) who snapped a seven-game losing streak. . . . The Raiders, who are 3-3-3 at home, had lost four straight there. . . . McNeill, who has seven goals, closed it out with an empty-netter. . . . F Justin Maylan and McNeill gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. . . . The Chiefs (7-8-0) tied it on goals by F Levko Koper, who has eight, and F Brady Brassart, who got his first, before the period ended. . . . F Todd Fiddler broke the tie, with his fourth, at 19:49. . . . Raiders freshman F Mike Winther added insurance with his fourth at 14:52 of the third. . . . The line of McNeill, Fiddler and Igor Revenko combined for six points. . . . Spokane is 2-2-0 on an East Division swing and had won two in a row. . . . D Jordan Rowley (broke wrist), who hadn’t played since opening night, was back in P.A.’s lineup. He is sporting a playing cast. . . . Raiders G Eric Williams stopped 34 shots, 11 more than Spokane’s Mac Engel. . . . Spokane was 0-for-4 on the PP; the Raiders were 0-for-1. . . . The Chiefs were without D Garrett Leedahl who was hurt Tuesday in Saskatoon. He likely won’t play on the duration of this swing. . . . Attendance was 1,978. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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SASKATOON 5 at SWIFT CURRENT 4: The Blades (12-5-0) erased a 4-2 deficit with three third-period goals. . . . The last two came from F Josh Nicholls, his eighth and ninth, at 12:21 and 18:39 of the third period. . . . Nicholls broke the 4-4 tie just moments after the Blades had killed off a delay-of-game penalty to G Adam Morrison. . . . F Justin Dowling’s PP goal at 18:02 of the second gave the Broncos (9-9-0) a 4-2 lead. . . . F Chris Collins, acquired Monday for F Curt Gogol, had a goal and an assist for the Blades. . . . D Duncan Siemens added three assists for Saskatoon, while D Stefan Elliott added two. . . . Dowling, F Killian Hutt and F Brad Hoban each had a goal and assist for the Broncos, while F Cody Eakin had two assists. . . . Morrison made 19 saves. Mark Friesen stopped 22 for the Broncos. . . . Saskatoon was 1-for-4 on the PP; Swift Current was 3-for-6. . . . Attendance was 2,086. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.
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KELOWNA 5 at KAMLOOPS 2: F Mitchell Callahan enjoyed his second four-point game in two nights to lead the Rockets (6-10-0). . . . Kelowna trailed 2-1 going into the third period when it scored three straight power-play goals. . . . The Blazers (8-8-1) had won four of five. . . . Callahan had two goals and two assists in a 6-2 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars on Tuesday. . . . C Shane McColgan was in on each of those PP goals, scoring one and setting up two others. . . . Three players scored their first WHL goals in this game — F Chase Souto of the Blazers and F Colton Heffley and D Damon Severson of the Rockets. . . . The Rockets were 3-for-5 on the PP; the Blazers were 0-for-5. . . . Kelowna G Adam Brown, in his 100th WHL game, stopped 37 shots. . . . Kamloops G Jeff Bosch turned aside 27. . . . Bosch stopped F Evan Bloodoff on a third-period penalty shot. . . . Attendance was 3,746. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero, but only because Kamloops F Bernhard Keil was given an interference penalty for what clearly was a hit from behind on F Geordie Wudrick.
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LETHBRIDGE 0 at MEDICINE HAT 7: G Tyler Bunz stopped 17 shots for his first shutout of the season and the third of his career. . . . The Tigers (9-5-0) have won three straight. . . . F Wacey Hamilton scored twice for Medicine Hat. He has seven on the season. . . . He also had an assist and was plus-4. . . . F Hunter Shinkaruk, F Ryan Harrison and F Kale Kessy each had a goal and an assist. . . . Lethbridge starter Brandon Anderson stopped 10 of 14 shots before giving way to Dylan Tait, who turned aside 11 of 14. . . . Lethbridge (6-6-3) was 0-for-4 on the PP and now is 6-for-67 on the season. . . . The Tigers were 1-for-6. . . . Attendance was 4,006. . . . Checking-from-behind count: Zero.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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Blazers no match for Dirty Harry and Co.

By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
When the chips were down Wednesday night, the Kamloops Blazers reverted to, well, the Kamloops Blazers.
The Blazers took a 2-1 lead into the third period, ran into penalty problems, gave up three power-play goals and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Kelowna Rockets in a WHL game played before 3,746 fans.
That is the smallest regular-season crowd ever to watch the Rockets play at Interior Savings Centre and the 11th-smallest regular-season crowd in the facility's history.
The Rockets (6-10-0) won for the second night in a row; they beat the visiting Prince George Cougars 6-2 on Tuesday.
The Blazers (8-8-1) had won four of five, including a 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds on Sunday.
“We found a way to beat Seattle,” Kamloops head coach Guy Charron said. “We kept plugging away.
“I think we had ample opportunities to be successful tonight but it wasn't enough. . . . I wasn't pleased with the level of competing. We need more effort from everybody to be more successful.
“At the end of the day, your best players have to be your best players. Tonight, I thought their best players were their best players.”
Still, the Blazers took a 2-1 lead into the third period against a Kelowna team they had beaten 5-4 on the road on Oct. 13.
In the second intermission, Charron said, the Blazers talked about what they needed to do. They wanted to stay away from bad penalties and turnovers, and to get the puck in deep.
“We all know what we need to do,” Charron said, “but when we're out there we don't do it.”
Two minutes into the period, winger Bernhard Keil took an interference call when he hit Kelowna forward Geordie Wudrick from behind. Defenceman Damon Severson promptly scored his first WHL goal on the power play.
Seven minutes later, Kamloops defenceman Brady Gaudet was sent off for tripping and power forward Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan struck on the power play.
Moments prior to the goal, Kamloops forward Shayne Neigum had slashed defenceman Tyson Barrie. So the Rockets were presented with another power-play opportunity.
This time it was centre Shane McColgan beating goaltender Jeff Bosch, who finished with 27 saves.
Just like that the Blazers' 2-1 lead had turned into a 4-2 deficit.
“Whether Keil deserved a penaty or not, he still put himself (in that position),” Charron said. “The penalty to Neigum . . . he's killing a penalty, he's already been out there too long and then he ends up getting a slashing (penalty).
“The discipline of our players is the identity of how they are as players. We have to learn, we have to . . . I don't know what else to say.”
The bottom line is that the Blazers got outworked. As the game wore on, the Rockets simply gave them a lesson in how to win by working.
“We don't want to take steps back, that's the most important thing,” Kelowna head coach Ryan Huska said. “I liked our effort the last two games.
“Our power play has come to play for us the last little while, too. I think that's just guys settling down, making plays when they're there and capitalizing on the chances.”
Last night, it was the Rockets' best players doing the capitalizing.
Callahan had a goal and three assists, all in the third period, giving him eight points in two games. McColgan finished with a goal and two assists, and Barrie had two assists.
“He's been our best player all season,” Huska said of Callahan, who has 18 points in 16 games after a sophomore season in which he finished with 47 points and 165 penalty minutes in 72 games. “Every night he's been the same way. He's getting rewarded. He's a guy with good skill. He's been in four fights. He's still doing everything we're asking him to do. He's killing penalties and turning into one of our key faceoff guys.
“I wish I had 20 more of him.”
Huska, of course, played four WHL seasons with the Blazers, putting up 162 points in 247 games. Asked if he ever had eight points over two games, he laughed and said: “Gawd, no!”
Callahan, who has signed with the Detroit Red Wings who took him in the sixth round of the NHL’s 2009 draft, said it was a case of the Rockets gunning for two victories in as many nights.
“The momentum from (Tuesday) carried over,” said the 19-year-old from Whittier, Calif., as he flashed a Bobby Clarke-type grin. “We stuck to our systems, stuck to our structure. We stayed with the little things we need to do to win hockey games. It was a greasy road game.”
He also pointed out that they got a solid effort from goaltender Adam Brown, who made 37 saves in what was his 100th WHL game.
“He's been fantastic lately,” Callahan said. “The last couple of games he has stood on his head. He's been maybe the best player on our team so far.”
According to Huska one of the keys to improved play for his guys is that Barrie, who last season was named the WHL’s top defenceman, is just now getting back to form after an early-season hamstring injury.
“Tyson has been the big thing,” said Huska, who added that he saw some rust in Barrie’s game when he first returned. “The last couple of games he has started to look more comfortable. That’s been a big difference in how our group has been.”
Forward Colton Heffley, playing his second game since joining the Rockets from the midget AAA Swift Current Legionnaires, scored his first WHL goal in the second period, while Kelowna got its other goal, an empty-netter,  from winger Brett Bulmer.
Winger Chase Souto, with his first WHL goal, and defenceman Austin Madaisky replied for the Blazers.
The Rockets, who got off to a tough start, and that’s putting it mildly, are two games into a stretch where they will play four B.C. Division teams over four nights.
“This is huge for us,” Callahan said. “We’re last in the conference and these division games are huge for us. As a team we know we have to step up. It’s four games in five nights but we’re preparing ourselves well.”
The Rockets will meet the Giants in Vancouver on Friday night and then return home to face the Chilliwack Bruins on Saturday.
JUST NOTES: Referees Jeff Ingram and Andy Thiessen gave each team seven minor penalties. . . . Kelowna was 3-for-5 on the power play; the Blazers were 0-for-5. . . . The Daily News Three Stars: 1. Callahan: He owned crunch time; 2. D Kevin Smith, Kelowna: A solid night; 3. F JT Barnett, Kamloops: Created chances. . . . The Rockets play Friday in Vancouver against the Giants. . . . The Blazers leave this morning for Calgary, where they play the Hitmen on Friday. The Blazers then move on to Lethbridge for a Saturday game with the Hurricanes. . . . Kamloops is back home Nov. 13 to face the Rockets. . . . The Blazers are getting geared up for their annual game against the local Special Olympics floor hockey team. It is set for Nov. 15, 7 p.m., at Brocklehurst Secondary. Fans are encouraged to attend and donations to Special Olympics are appreciated.

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

Dirty Harry stars in Everett

The Brandon Wheat Kings made two moves Sunday and got down to the 20-year-old maximum of three players. . . . The started by trading D Mark Schneider, 20, to the Regina Pats for F Dominick Favreau, 18. Schneider, from Brandon, is the son of former Wheat Kings captain Ken Schneider, who now coaches the midget AAA Wheat Kings. Mark began his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers. He had 21 points in 60 games with the Wheat Kings last season, but was pointless in three games this season. . . . Regina selected Favreau with the 13th pick of the 2007 bantam draft. The native of Martensiville, Sask., he had three points in 57 games with the Pats last season. . . . The Wheat Kings also announced that G Jacob DeSerres, 20, cleared WHL waivers and is joining the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs. DeSerres, from Calgary, was acquired by Brandon last season from the Seattle Thunderbirds. . . . All of this leaves Brandon with D Darren Bestland, F David Toews and F Shayne Wiebe as its 20-year-olds. Toews is sidelined with a high ankle sprain. . . . The deals leaves Regina with its three 20-year-olds, in Schneider, F Thomas Frazee and F Colin Reddin.
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The Winklers Flyers and OCN Blizzard went through 26 shooters before a shootout winner was decided in an MJHL Showcase Weekend game in Winnipeg on Saturday night. The Flyers ended up with a 3-2 victory. . . . The Lethbridge Hurricanes have lost F Austin Fyten for a while after he suffered a broken foot during Friday’s 4-1 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars. He was off to a great start, with six goals and two assists in five games. . . . On Saturday, the Kootenay Ice lost D Brayden McNabb in the second period of a 6-3 victory in Lethbridge. “He is day-to-day with an upper body injury,” writes blogger Jeff Bromley. “Cripes, it's only October and we're into upper- and lower-body injuries?” . . . Dave Shoalts of The Globe and Mail checks in with the latest on the Dallas Stars, Tom Gaglardi and Bill Gallacher. That piece is right here.
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SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS:
KELOWNA 4 at EVERETT 3 (SO): The Rockets erased a 3-0 third-period deficit and won for the second night in a row. . . . Kelowna (2-4-0-0) had beaten the visiting Prince Albert Raiders 3-2 in OT on Saturday night. . . . F Geordie Wudrick and F Shane McColgan scored for Kelowna in the shootout, while Everett shooters Tyler Maxwell and Linden Ferraro were blanked. . . . Kelowna G Jordon Cooke stopped 35 shots in his WHL debut. . . . F Mitchell (Dirty Harry) Callahan scored the Rockets’ first two goals, at 4:46 on a PP, and again at 13:50. They were Callahan’s first goals this season. . . . Callahan also drew an assist on F Zach Franko’s tying goal, at 18:55. . . . Maxwell scored two shorthanded goals for Everett (4-1-0-1) which has two games left on an eight-game season-opening homestand. Maxwell has eight goals this season. . . . Everett G Kent Simpson stopped 20 shots. . . . Kelowna was 1-for-4 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-3. . . . Attendance was 4,678. . . . The Rockets were without D Tyson Barrie (hamstring). . . . Checking from behind count: Zero.

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