WHL teams monitoring mumps situation . . . Rebels add key d-man from Blades . . . Hitmen are rolling

F Jim O'Brien (Seattle, 2007-09) has been released by Metallurg Novokuznetsk (Russia, KHL). He had two goals and 10 assists in 22 games.
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THE MUMPS SITUATION:

Officials with WHL teams aren’t overly concerned about the mumps, a viral disease that has hit at least 14 NHL players.
The latest NHLers to be diagnosed are Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby and forward Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers. Interestingly, the Rangers assigned F Anthony Duclair to Canada’s national junior team on the weekend.
The mumps issue hasn’t been discussed, at least not officially, at the league level inside the WHL. However, teams are watching closely from afar and monitoring the situation.
Bob Tory, the general manager of the Tri-City Americans, told Taking Note on Sunday evening that he isn’t at all concerned “because most younger people have been vaccinated.”
Tory also pointed out that WHL teams already are quite health conscious.
“We have always taken extra care in our room since the last virus scare,” he noted, “and even purchased a hospital-grade ionizer that they use in intensive care. I think a few teams bought them a few years ago.”
Hospitals use ionizers to combat infections.
Jeff Chynoweth, the president and general manager of the Kootenay Ice, told Taking Note that his club hasn’t “done anything officially in dealing with the mumps.”
“But, he added, “between our doctors and athletic therapist we are monitoring the situation with all of our players.”
Colin Priestner, the Saskatoon Blades’ managing partner, says his organization has “no concerns.”
“Most outbreaks have been in U.S. markets,” he notes, “and our kids have been vaccinated.”
Bruno Campese, the general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders, spoke with a team doctor on Sunday.
“He wasn’t concerned,” Campese told Taking Note.
Cam Hope, the general manager of the Victoria Royals, admitted that “viral infections of all kinds are always a concern in a team setting, where guys spend so much time in close contact.”
Still, he added, “it is really about being smart and diligent” and the Royals are always on high alert.
“Hygiene is given extremely high importance,” he told Taking Note, “and we require immediate reporting of any symptoms that are cold/flu like -- to make sure we isolate any ill player right away.”
The present outbreak of mumps, he pointed out, “gives us another opportunity to stress these things with the team, and every new case in the NHL is another reminder to them to take the steps they can to minimize the risk.”
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Eric Duhatschek of The Globe and Mail takes a look at the NHL and its response to the mumps situation right here.
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Two WHL teams going in opposite directions at the moment got together Sunday on a deal that involved three players and two early bantam draft selections.
The Red Deer Rebels, who have been one of the league’s hotter teams of late and are the host team for the 2016 Memorial Cup, acquired D Nelson Nogier, 18, and F Austin Adamson, 18, from the Saskatoon Blades, who are in the early days of a complete rebuild.
In exchange, the Blades get F Mason McCarty, 17, a second-round draft pick in 2015 and a first-round selection in 2016.
The Blades now hold four first-round selections, three seconds and four thirds through the 2015 and 2016 bantam drafts. (For more on what teams hold what draft picks, check out Small Thoughts At Large right here.)
The key to the deal from a Red Deer perspective is Nogier, a Saskatoon native who is the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier. Nelson was a fourth-round pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL’s 2014 draft. Nogier, an alternate captain with the Blades, is a responsible defender who can bang bodies. In 128 games with the Blades, he had 18 points, two of them goals.
“He’s a player we’ve had our eyes on for well over a year now, and yet we knew there would be a price,” Brent Sutter, the Rebels’ owner, GM and head coach, told Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate. “Those are the stakes in poker. It takes a first-round and a second-round pick to get a player like that.”
This season, Nogier, who played for the Blades in the 2013 Memorial Cup in Saskatoon as a 16-year-old, has a goal and seven assists in 32 games.
Nogier was a fourth-round pick by Saskatoon in the 2011 bantam draft. He was limited to 37 games last season because of a shoulder injury.
Nogier’s addition leaves the Rebels with 10 defencemen on their roster, meaning there could be more activity between Dec. 26 and Jan. 10.
Adamson, from Richmond, B.C., had five goals and five assists in 84 games over two seasons with the Blades. This season, he has three goals and two assists in 31 games. He is an undrafted list player.
McCarty, a fourth-round selection by the Rebels in the 2012 bantam draft, has two assists in nine games this season. From Blackie, Alta., he played last season with the midget AAA UFA Bisons, who play out of Strathmore, Alta. He had 42 points, 22 of them goals, in 32 games.
The Blades, who have lost 10 straight games, are 7-24-3 and know already that they won’t make the playoffs. They play their last game before the Christmas break on Wednesday when they travel to Swift Current to meet the Broncos.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix has more on the trade right here.
Greg Meachem of the Red Deer Advocate has more right here.
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The WHL’s Christmas trade moratorium went into effect at midnight and runs through Dec. 26.
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A BLOG NOTE:

The blog master in these parts is in need of a new computer. If you are a regular in these parts and enjoy this blog, you may want to consider making a donation in order to help make this happen. . . . Thank you, in advance.
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George Burnett won his 600th victory as an OHL head coach on Saturday when the host Belleville Bulls beat the Ottawa 67’s, 4-1. . . . Burnett, in his 19th season as an OHL head coach, is fourth on the league’s all-time list. . . . Burnett trails Brian Kilrea (1,193), the late Bert Templeton (907) and Larry Mavety (658). . . .
In the QMJHL, G Francois Brassard of the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles scored a goal Saturday in an 8-5 victory over the Quebec Remparts. . . . Brassard scored the game’s last goal, firing the puck from behind his net off the left-side boards and into the empty goal at the other end. He is the first goaltender in franchise history to score a goal. . . . It came in his first appearance against the team that traded him away during the off-season.
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SUNDAY’S GAMES:

In Brandon, G Jordan Papirny stopped 22 shots to lead the Wheat Kings to a 4-0 victory over the Red Deer Rebels. . . . Papirny has two shutouts this season and three in his career. . . . F Tim McGauley scored twice, giving him 20 this season. He now is riding an 11-game point streak, with 12 goals and nine assists over that stretch. . . . F John Quenneville scored the game’s first goal, his 11th, on a PP, at 10:15 of the first period. . . . McGauley’s second goal, at 14:43 of the third, was shorthanded. . . . Wheat Kings F Ty Lewis, who is from Brandon, made his WHL debut. A third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft, he had been on the shelf with a broken arm. . . . Among Brandon’s scratches were F Jayce Hawryluk and F Jesse Gabrielle, both out with undisclosed injuries. . . . D Nelson Nogier and F Austin Adamson, acquired earlier in the day from the Saskatoon Blades, weren’t in Red Deer’s lineup. . . . The Wheat Kings (24-7-3) are 3-0-1 in their last four games. They lead the East Division by 12 points over the Regina Pats. . . . The Rebels (18-12-4) had a four-game winning streak end. They are third in the Central Division, one point behind Calgary. . . .

In Calgary, the Hitmen ran their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. . . . The Hitmen scored the game’s first three goals, two of them coming in the second period following a scoreless first. . . . F Beck Malenstyn scored his fifth at 6:13 of the second period and F Layne Bensmiller got his first at 19:28. . . . Calgary F Adam Tambellini made it 3-0 with his 19th goal at 6:02 of the third. He is on a five-game goal-scoring streak. . . . Kelowna F Dillon Dube scored his fifth on a PP at 15:46 of the third. . . . D Jake Bean of the Hitmen, a 16-year-old from Calgary, ran his point streak to seven games with an assist. He has 11 of his 12 assists in those seven games. . . . Calgary G Mack Shields, who made 17 saves, drew his fifth assist this season, breaking the franchise record of four that he set last season. . . . D Keegan Kanzig, a healthy scratch the night before, was back in Calgary’s lineup. . . . The Hitmen improved to 19-11-3 and jumped past Red Deer into second place in the Central Division. . . . The Rockets (26-5-3) lead the B.C. Division by 19 points over the Victoria Royals. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Kamloops Blazers broke open a scoreless game with three goals in 46 seconds and went on to a 4-2 victory over the Hurricanes. . . . F Collin Shirley scored his 10th and 11th goals, at 18:58 and 19:44 of the first period, with F Cole Ully getting No. 16 at 19:30. The first two of those goals came via the PP. . . . Lethbridge F Zane Jones scored twice, giving him 15, as the Hurricanes cut into the lead in the second period. . . . Kamloops D Ryan Rehill got his third goal, at 12:35 of the second, for insurance. . . . Blazers D Josh Connolly had his third straight two-assist game. He’s got 28 points, including 24 assists, in 33 games. . . . Lethbridge D Lenny Hackman was among the Lethbridge scratches. He had played in 174 consecutive games. . . . The game was the first behind the Hurricanes’ bench for new head coach Peter Anholt. . . . The Blazers (13-18-5) snapped a five-game losing skid and moved back into fourth place in the B.C. Division, a point ahead of the Vancouver Giants. . . . The Hurricanes (6-20-5), with one victory in their last 16 games, have lost six in a row. . . .

In Kennewick, Wash., F Evan Weinger broke a 2-2 tie at 11:15 of the second period and the Portland Winterhawks went on to a 4-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans. . . . Weinger has five goals. . . . Tri-City F Jordan Topping had tied it 2-2 with his second goal at 18:31 of the first. That goal came 43 seconds after F Alex Overhardt had scored his first goal to give Portland the lead. . . . Earlier, the teams shared goals 20 seconds part, F Dominic Turgeon scoring his 11th for Portland and F Beau McCue getting his 13th for the Americans. . . . Portland F Alex Schoenborn gave his side a 4-2 lead with an empty-netter at 18:51 of the third. . . . McCue then got his second of the game at 19:44. . . .  Winterhawks F Chase De Leo had an assist to run his point streak to 12 games. . . . Portland F Skyler McKenzie had two assists. . . . Portland G Adin Hill stopped 45 shots, 15 more than Tri-City’s Evan Sarthou. . . . Portland was 0-for-4 on the PP; Tri-City was 0-for-1. . . . The Winterhawks (19-14-3) have won two straight and are one point behind the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips, who hold five games in hand. . . . The Americans (17-15-1) have lost two straight and are tied for third with the Spokane Chiefs in the U.S. Division.
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Just one referee tonight - Steve Papp. All 3 other WHL games have 2. Big division showdown here ... @TheWHL needs to do a better job.
— Annie Fowler (@TCHIceQueen) December 15, 2014

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THE MacBETH REPORT:
D Clayton Stoner (Tri-City, 2002-05) signed a lockout contract with Banska Bystrica (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had one goal and four assists in 51 games with the Minnesota Wild last season. . . .
D David Hajek (Spokane, 1998-99) signed a contract extensio with Dresdner Eislwen (Germany, 2. Bundesliga) through the end of this season. He has three goals and four assists in 16 games for Dresden this season. Hajek had originally signed a try-out contract with Dresden in August. This was converted into a 3 1/2-month contract after one exhibition game and was set to expire on Dec. 15.
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The OHL’s Erie Otters have named Kris Knoblauch as their new head coach, replacing Robbie Ftorek, 60, who was fired on Thursday. The Otters, whose roster includes 15-year-old phenom Connor McDavid, were 7-15-5, which has them in last place in the Western Conference. Knoblauch, 34, will work his first game tonight against the Hounds in Sault Ste. Marie. . . . Peter Sidorkiewicz remains as the Otters’ assistant coach. . . . Knoblauch was dismissed by the Kootenay Ice over the summer after he applied for the U of Alberta Golden Bears’ head-coaching position while still under contract. Knoblauch had been helping out as an assistant coach with the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters of the Kootenay International Junior League.
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JUST NOTES:
The Saskatoon Blades have decided to keep D Nelson Nogier for the remainder of the season. Nogier, a fourth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft, started the season with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts. Nogier was brought in prior to the Blades leaving on a B.C. Division swing. They are said to be especially enamoured with his leadership abilities, but don’t want to put too big a load on a 16-year-old freshman. . . . Nogier is the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier. . . . The Blades are in Calgary tonight and expect to have F Shane McColgan (concussion) back in their lineup after a three-game absence. . . .
The Prince Albert Raiders have signed F Austin Daae, 19, who was playing for the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins. Daae, who is from Estevan, had 16 points, including five goals, in 21 games. Daae had six points in 52 games with the Prince George Cougars last season. . . . The Raiders are looking for depth as they begin to prepare to lose a number of players to Christmas tournaments.
The Red Deer Rebels have acquired F Filip Vasko, who turns 19 on Dec. 10, from the Kelowna Rockets for a conditional sixth-round selection in the 2013 bantam draft. Vasko, a Slovakian sophomore, has 10 points, including three goals, in 19 games this season. Last season, in 51 games, he had 12 assists. The draft pick is payable if Vasko is on the Rebels’ roster after the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
A note from Alan Caldwell of Small Thoughts At Large about this trade: “Kelowna already owned Red Deer's 2013 6th round bantam pick from another conditional deal, the one that sent Austin Ferguson to Red Deer a month ago. Since Red Deer sent Ferguson home 2 weeks ago to decide if he wants to be a hockey player, I guess it's now safe to say the Ferguson trade has been nullified, Red Deer got the pick back and promptly traded it to Kelowna again for Vasko now.”
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In an interesting piece in The Globe and Mail, Alan Maki reports:
A season-long medical study like no other has examined head injuries among university hockey players and determined there is “significant underreporting” of concussions in both men’s and women’s hockey.
That story is right here.
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If you aren’t aware of it, there is an interesting story unfolding on a blog that carries the title The Myles McCauley Story. It is right here.
As the blog’s subtitle reads: “This is a story of Myles McCauley. Myles is hockey player from Sterling Heights, Michigan and this is the story of his journey in the OHL and a detour to Penticton, BC and the BCHL.”
The story includes emails and, well, you should check it out because someone, as they say, is going to have some splaining to do.

There has never been a subscription fee for this blog, but if you enjoy stopping by here, why not consider donating to the cause? Just click HERE. . . and thank you very much.

The Red Deer Rebels will be wearing special jerseys on Saturday
when they meet the visiting Calgary Hitmen.

THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Jakub Sindel (Brandon, 2004-05) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Ässät Pori (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had two assists in five games with Kloten (Switzerland, NL A), one goal in 21 games with Dinamo Riga (Latvia, KHL), and three assists in 11 games with Kärpät Oulu (Finland, SM-Liiga) this season. . . .
F Jan Fadrny (Brandon, Kelowna, 1998-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Martin (Slovakia, Extraliga). He had 13 goals and 25 assists in 26 games for Königsbrunn (Germany, Regionalliga) this season. . . .
F Brad Schell (Spokane, 1999-2004) was released by Dornbirn (Austria, Nationalliga). He had 18 goals and 32 assists in 27 games for Dornbirn this season. Schell was released to open a import roster slot for former NHL and AHL F Scott Barney. . . .
D Ross Lupaschuk (Lethbridge, Prince Albert, Red Deer, 1996-2001) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland, SM-Liiga). He had 10 goals and 17 assists in 38 games with the Vienna Capitals (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) this season. . . .
F Kyle Bruce (Kamloops, Prince Albert, Vancouver, 1999-2004) signed a contract for the rest of this season with the Dundee Stars (Scotland, UK Elite). He had two goals and 11 assists in 26 games with the Braehead Clan (Scotland, UK Elite) this season. . . .
F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) signed a contract for the rest of this season with SønderjyskE Vojens (Denmark, AL-Bank Liga). He had three goals and 12 assists in 39 games with Rögle (Sweden, Allsvenskan) this season. . . .
D Jason Beckett (Seattle, 1997-2000) was released Monday by Kallinge/Rommeby (Sweden, Division 1). He had two goals and three assists in 32 games with Kallinge/Ronneby this season. . . . On Tuesday, Beckett signed a contract for the rest of this season with Västervik (Sweden, Division 2). . . .
F Jaroslav Kristek (Tri-City, 1998-2000) was assigned on loan by Lev Poprad (Slovakia, KHL) to Kosice (Slovakia, Extraliga) for the rest of this season. He had eight goals and six assists in 36 games for Lev this season. . . .
G Tyler Plante (Brandon, 2003-07) signed a contract for the rest of this season with Djurgården Stockholm (Sweden, Elitserien). He started the season with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL), playing two games with a 3.14 GAA and a .899 save percentage. Plante also appeared in four games with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL), registering a 2.65 GAA and a .896 save percentage. After being released by Florida Panthers, he signed on with Mora (Sweden, Allsvenskan). There, he had a 3.00 GAA and a .899 save percentage in six games. . . .
F Milan Kytnar (Kelowna, Saskatoon, Vancouver, 2007-10) was assigned on loan by the Edmonton Oilers to HPK Hämeenlinna (Finland, SM-Liiga) for the rest of this season. He had one goal and two assists in 13 games with the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL), five goals and three assists in 14 games with the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) and was pointless in one game with the Oilers this season.
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ASK THE COMMISSIONER:
Why does the WHL not shut down for the CHL Top Prospects Game? Your ticket buyers are denied watching a number of your best players over the Christmas/New Year season because of the various international assignments. So why not shut down for three days while the TPG and its skills competition are being held and give the ticket-buying public a break?
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THE COACHING GAME:
Lonny Bohonos (Moose Jaw, Seattle, Portland, 1991-94) is the new head coach of the Thunder Bay North Stars of the junior A Superior International league. Bohonos was named interim head coach following the firing of Todd Howarth. . . . Howarth stepped down, citing personal reasons. He had been the head coach since 2002-03. . . . Bohonos, who is from Winnipeg, has lived in Thunder Bay since 2006, where he has coached in the Thunder Bay Kings organization. . . . The North Stars are 22-15-5 and in third place.
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JUST NOTES:
The Red Deer Rebels have hooked up with Finning Canada for a Saturday promotion to benefit KidSport in Central Alberta. The Rebels will wear special sweaters for Saturday’s game against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. The sweaters will be part of a silent auction to be held during the game. . . . According to a Rebels’ news release: “The silent auction will begin when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. It will conclude, at the latest, by the end of the first period intermission. There will be a limit of one jersey per fan, and each jersey will have a ‘buy now’ price. After the game, each player will sign his jersey before presenting it to the person who made the successful bid.” . . .
The Saskatoon Blades have added D Nelson Nogier, 15, to their lineup for tonight’s game against the visiting Swift Current Broncos. Nogier, the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier, is from Saskatoon and plays for the midget AAA Contacts. Nelson was a fourth-round selection in the 2011 bantam draft. . . . The Blades are without F Lukas Sutter and D Dalton Thrower, both of whom are at the Top Prospects Game in Kelowna, D Matt Pufahl (ankle) and F Travis McEvoy (concussion). . . . McEvoy and Pufahl both were injured in fights during a game on Saturday. Pufahl broke an ankle and has had surgery. He is expected to be out up to eight weeks. . . .
The Blades also have added former D Curtis Leschyshyn to their coaching staff. He will help out for the next couple of weeks with Jerome Engele away until the middle of February. . . .
The Portland Winterhawks will induct Brent Peterson, a former player and coach, into their Hall of Fame on Friday, prior to a game against the visiting Everett Silvertips. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. . . . The Winterhawks will be looking to extend their franchise-record home-ice winning streak to 19 games. The Silvertips are coming off a doubleheader sweep in Prince George.
Doug Harrison of CBC Sports has done up an interesting feature on Sherry Bassin, the general manager of the OHL’s Erie Otters. You may check it out right here. If you do, pay particular attention to the sidebar in which Bassin talks about the importance of delegating wisely.
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I really don’t know why it took until now for me to stumble upon a blog that is titled The Agents of Change. But I did happen upon it and it’s definitely worth your checking out. Written by long-time agent Ritch Winter, there is lots of food for thought here.
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The Detroit Red Wings will play the Flames in Calgary tonight. Prior to the game, the Flames will honour the memory of Brad McCrimmon, who played for both teams. McCrimmon, who played for the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings and coached the Saskatoon Blades, was killed when a plane carrying the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club crashed on Sept. 7.
There’s more right here.
And if you haven't yet made a donation and got your Love for Lokomotiv bracelet, skip on over to right here and get it done.


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THE MacBETH REPORT:
F Kirill Starkov (Red Deer, 2006-07) was released by Rögle Ängelholm (Sweden, Allsvenskan). He had three goals and 12 assists in 39 games for Rögle this season. . . .
F Petr Kalus (Regina, 2005-06) signed a contract for the rest of this season with MoDo Örnsköldsvik (Sweden, Elitserien). He had three goals and four assists in 30 games with Slavia Prague (Czech Republic, Extraliga) this season.
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The Regina Pats will honour the memory of the late Rick Rypien on Friday night as they play host to the Swift Current Broncos.
It will be Rick Rypien Bobblehead Night, with a limited quantity of bobbleheads available for fans to purchase with a minimum donation of $2. All proceeds will go to KidSport, and there is a limit of one bobblehead per customer.
Rypien spent his entire WHL career with the Pats, serving as captain in 2004-05.
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The Saskatoon Blades have signed D Nelson Nogier, a hometown boy who was a fourth-round selection in the 2011 WHL bantam draft. Nogier, the son of former WHL G Pat Nogier, has 14 points in 35 games with the midget AAA Saskatoon Contacts this season. . . .
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D Tyler Stahl, who suffered a concussion on Oct. 1, is back on skates, although there is no timetable for his return to the Victoria Royals’ lineup. Stahl was injured on a hit from F Charles Inglis, then with the Prince George Cougars. Inglis drew a 10-game suspension for the hit. . . . Stahl, who turns 21 on Sunday, was back on the ice Tuesday, although he isn’t yet ready for contact. . . . He won’t play Friday and Saturday against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. . . .
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In the BCHL, the Penticton Vees ran their winning streak to 26 games with a 9-0 victory over the Centennials in Merritt. The Vees are 38-3-2; the Centennials have the BCHL’s second-best record, at 26-13-7. Penticton G Michael Garteig (32-4, 1.97, .929) has put up three shutouts over his last four starts. . . . The Vees next play Friday against the visiting Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
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WEDNESDAY’S GAMES:
In Calgary, F Brooks Macek scored three straight goals to help the Hitmen to a 7-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. . . . Macek, who also had an assist, has 14 goals. His first career hat trick came in his 238th game. . . . The Hitmen have won nine of 10 and are tiede with the Saskatoon Blades for fifth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Kootenay Ice. . . . Calgary F Victor Rask had a goal, his 21st, and two assists. . . . Brandon G Corbin Boes made his first start since breaking a hand in a 7-3 loss to the host Edmonton Oil Kings on Dec. 8. . . . Boes was gone at 12:18 of the second, having given up five goals on 21 shots. . . . Bruce Luebke, the radio voice of the Wheat Kings on CKLQ, notes that it was “Brandon’s fifth loss by four or more goals in the last month.” . . . The Wheat Kings had beaten the Kootenay Ice 1-0 in Cranbrook on Tuesday night. . . .

In Lethbridge, the Hurricanes scored the game’s last three goals and beat the Kootenay Ice, 5-4. . . . Ice F Jesse Ismond scored shorthanded to give his side a 4-2 lead at 15:11 of the second period. . . . Lethbridge F Jaimen Yakubowski got the home side to within one at 17:47 of the second. . . . F Brody Sutter, with his 21st, tied it at 7:34 of the third and F Phil Tot won it, with his 10th, at 15:02. . . . The last two goals came via the PP as Lethbridge went 2-for-6. . . . Lethbridge G Liam Liston stopped 23 shots. . . . Ice F Sam Reinhart scored his 17th goal, which was his 41st point and set a franchise single-season record for a 16-year-old. The previous record had been held by D Steve McCarthy (1997-98). . . . The Ice was without F Max Reinhart, who blocked a shot Tuesday night against Brandon and is expected to be out at least a week. . . .

In Medicine Hat, F Hunter Shinkaruk struck for three goals to help the Tigers to a 6-5 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders. . . . Shinkaruk, who has 35 goals, also had an assist. . . . The Tigers were without F Emerson Etem, who is at home in California. He hadn’t had any time off since playing for the U.S. in the World Junior Championship. Etem left Sunday and should be back for a Friday game against the host Lethbridge Hurricanes. . . . F Mark McNeill had four goals and an assist for the Raiders. He’s got 22 goals. . . . Prince Albert F Justin Maylan drew four assists, while F Logan McVeigh had three. . . . The Raiders have lost six straight. . . .

In Edmonton, F Brendan Shinnimin scored with 32.2 seconds left in OT to give the Tri-City Americans a 5-4 victory over the Oil Kings. . . . The goal was the second of the game for Shinnimin, who has 29 this season. . . . The outcome left the Americans second in the overall standings, one point ahead of the Oil Kings and one behind the Kamloops Blazers. Kamloops dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to the Rockets in Kelowna, but the loser point kept them in top spot. . . . The Oil Kings, who had won three straight, took a 3-2 lead into the third period. . . . The Americans then got goals from Shinnimin and F Malte Stromwall in the period’s first five minutes. . . . D Martin Gernat of Edmonton forced OT with his eighth goal at 7:35. . . . Edmonton took three of the game’s five minor penalties. . . . The Americans were 1-for-3 on the PP; Edmonton was 0-for-2. . . . Oil Kings D Griffin Reinhart was back after having been out since Jan. 8 with an undisclosed injury. He scored back-to-back second-period goals, giving him 11. . . . Americans G Ty Rimmer stopped 42 shots, including 18 of 19 in the first period. Rimmer just happens to be from Edmonton. . . . Oil Kings G Laurent Brossoit stopped 39 shots. . . .

In Red Deer, F Charles Inglis had a goal and two assists as the Rebels doubled the Vancouver Giants, 4-2. . . . D Mathew Dumba added two assists for Red Deer. . . . Inglis broke a 2-2 tie at 9:22 of the second period. . . . Red Deer G Deven Dubyk stopped 29 shots. . . . Vancouver started Payton Lee, a 15-year-old from Cranbrook who had won his last two starts. But he gave up four goals on 30 shots through two periods and was replaced by Jackson Whistle, who stopped all 11 shots in faced in the third. . . . The Giants had F Brendan Gallagher (shoulder) and D David Musil (wrist) back after 10-day absences. . . .

In Everett, F Steven Kuhn had two goals and an assist as the Spokane Chiefs beat the Silvertips, 4-2. . . . F Josh Birkholz got Everett to within one at 3-2 at 15:58 of the third period. He’s got 21 goals. . . . Kuhn provided insurance with his 12th goal into an empty net at 19:59. . . . Spokane was 2-for-7 on the PP; Everett was 0-for-2. . . . The Chiefs have won four in a row to close to within a point of fourth-place Vancouver in the Western Conference. . . . Spokane and Everett have completed their season series, with the Chiefs holding an 8-1-1 edge. . . . The Silvertips now head for Prince George and a Friday-Saturday doubleheader with the Cougars. . . .

In Kelowna, the Rockets scored a 3-2 shootout victory over Kamloops, ending the Blazers’ nine-game winning streak. . . . F Brett Bulmer pulled the Rockets even at 11:10 of the third period. . . . F Zach Franko and D Myles Bell scored for Kelowna in the shootout. . . . Kamloops F Brandon Ranford scored his 25th goal of the season and the 100th of his career in the second period. . . . Kamloops G Cole Cheveldave stopped 34 shots, 11 more than Kelowna’s Adam Brown.
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WEDNESDAY’S CHECKING-FROM-BEHIND COUNT:
F Jordyn Boyd, Everett (double minor).
FCurtis Lazar, Edmonton.
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The Under-20 Emirates Hockey League has dropped the puck on its first season. There are four teams, including the Dubai Mighty Camels. There’s more right here.


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